A Vietnamese film, 'Don’t Cry, Butterflies,' which won two awards at the Settimana Internazionale della Critica during the 81st Venice International Film Festival, was highlighted as a successful co-production at the Hong Kong International Film and Television Market (FILMART) 2025 in Hong Kong.

The film was mentioned at a panel discussion titled 'Opportunities and challenges of Europe-Asia co-productions,' which brought together industry experts to explore the benefits and difficulties of cross-border filmmaking.

It was part of the Producers Connect program during FILMART, which wrapped up on Thursday last week.

Si En Tan, managing director and producer of Singapore’s Momo Film Co., described the movie as a Southeast Asian co-production involving Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

“It was a project that we put together and we were specific about choosing co-producers from our region because I think of that understanding and similarity in culture and with, of course, a lot of trust,” Tan said.

“It worked really well because there was an immediate understanding of the story that we wanted to tell, the spirits and the myths that were part of it, so everything went really smoothly."

'Don’t Cry, Butterfly' tells the story of mother Tam and daughter Ha, who embark on a motorcycle journey after discovering Tam’s husband is having an affair. 

In her quest to change his mind, Tam seeks help from an online shaman, inadvertently awakening a mysterious supernatural force in their home.

“I think we brought together a lot of goodness from Asia and we worked across the region, and that's the beautiful part about co-production: You tap into the different strengths of what the region has to offer and different sorts of expertise and try to push the film to as far as you want it to go,” Tan said.

Meanwhile, Justin Kim, head of international film production at Korea’s CJ ENM Co., Ltd., spoke about working with Vietnamese producer Tran Thanh on 'The House of No Man' and 'Mai.'

“I noticed that Tran Thanh has a very deep understanding of the Vietnamese market and about the people,” Kim noted, praising Thanh for his storytelling, unique style, and strong dialogue writing skills. 

Meanwhile, with its strengths in production, marketing, publicity, distribution, and international sales, CJ handled these aspects for the film, which achieved impressive box office success in Vietnam.

'Mai,' another co-production with Tran Thanh, broke the box office record again the following year.

Opportunities and challenges

After showcasing successful projects, the panelists from Saudi Arabia, China, Brazil, South Korea, France, and Singapore discussed the challenges of working across different cultures.

“Even if we call it Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand all have different cultures; or the religion and the ways people think are totally different,” Kim pointed out.

“So when I go to Indonesia, I try to think that I'm Indonesian, and when I go in Vietnam, I'm Vietnamese."

He emphasized that filmmakers should be open-minded and study each other’s culture before pursuing international co-productions. 

“Many Korean creators are also trying to look into the opportunities, especially in the emerging markets like Southeast Asia, but when they approached us, I tried to ask them: If you want to do the project with Vietnam, then how many Vietnamese films have you watched so far? And how do you research and study Vietnamese culture and the audience?” he addressed. 

Answering Tuoi Tre News’ question on how co-production contributes to the mentioned works in the Q&A session, Si En Tan noted that Vietnam lacks national film funding, making international cooperation a solution for emerging filmmakers. 

“For a lot of first-time filmmakers, it is difficult to get their films off the ground, so I think that international co-production became a source or a way to get their films made,” she explained. 

“It would be exciting to see what Vietnam can do if the government starts supporting filmmakers, especially emerging ones, because it's evident that there's a lot of great talent coming from Vietnam,” Si concluded, wishing to see an exciting change over the next couple of years as both art-house and commercial filmmakers are emerging in Vietnam.

Taking place from March 17 to 20 in Hong Kong, FILMART 2025 aimed to be the market for international producers, distributors, sales agents, and investors to build new connections, explore business opportunities, and showcase their latest productions.

The four-day event with a wide range of activities gathered more than 760 exhibitors from 34 countries and regions and attracted over 7,600 global participants.

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