HCM CITY — Film producer and director Lý Hải will release the latest movie of his successful series Lật Mặt (Face Off) to entertain moviegoers during the coming holidays to mark Hùng Kings Commemoration Day (April 18) and Reunification Day (April 30).

The movie Lật Mặt 7: Một Điều Ước (Face Off 7: One Wish) revolves around a 78-year-old single mother living alone in K'Long K'Lanh Village in Đan Dương District of the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng, who devoted her life to raising her children.

Her children grow up and fly away. After having an accident, she has only one wish to have her children by her side.

Hải said at the press conference to announce his latest project in December that he began writing the film script in 2021 amid COVID-19 pandemic, which took him six months to complete.

“I want to send a message of motherhood and family love to audiences,” he said, adding that he did not want to be known for comedy action movies only.

Hải invited around 50 actors to join his project, including veteran actress Thanh Hiền as the mother.

The work also features Trương Minh Cường, Đinh Y Nhung, Quách Ngọc Tuyên, Trâm Anh and Trần Kim Hải as the five children.

The cast and crew travelled across HCM City, Lâm Đồng, Ninh Thuận, and Hà Nội for filming which took one and a half months.

Hải hopes his movie will contribute to promoting the beauty of Việt Nam, its culture and tourism.

Trần Cẩm Tú of Đồng Nai Province said: “After watching the film’s trailer, I believe Lật Mặt 7 will be another success for Hải. The film features issues that people are facing today.”

Hải was a well-known singer in the 1990s for his pop songs. He started making films in 2010 and has achieved great success with his series Lật Mặt consisting of six movies, earning a total of VNĐ813 billion (US$53.6 million).

Of the films, the sixth movie Lật Mặt 6: Tấm Vé Định Mệnh (Face Off 6: The Ticket of Destiny) released last April raked in VNĐ300 billion ($12 million), becoming his highest-grossing production.

The film features a group of six young men who have known each other since they were little. One day, they bought a lottery ticket and gave it to their friend An to keep, promising to split the money evenly if they won. After An’s tragic death in an accident, the group members chase one another for the winning ticket.

The work was filmed in the Định Yên mat village in the Mekong Delta province of Đồng Tháp’s Lấp Vò District. The village emerged in the 1920s with beautiful handmade mats but now is in danger of disappearing.

Hải spent billions of đồng on restoring traditional dyebaths, drying yards, and the night market of the village to introduce audiences how the village looked in the past.

He said the work aimed to contribute to the efforts of local authorities and the community to promote Định Yên mat village and its cultural value to the public.

Lật Mặt 7: Một Điều Ước will hit the theatres on April 26. — VNS