Fantasy: Music producer and movie star Ngo Thanh Van has launched a new career as a movie director. — VNS Photo

HCM CITY (VNS)— Movie star, pop singer and producer Ngo Thanh Van is taking on a new role as director of a new film, Tam Cam-Chuyen Chua Ke (Tam and Cam – The Untold Story).

Van and her company, VAA, will complete post-production later this year and release the film next summer.

The 90-minute movie is based on a fairy tale, Tam Cam, best known as the Vietnamese version of Cinderella.

The story tells the life of an orphan girl named Tam, who is beautiful and hard working, and has a kind word for people and animals around her.

She lives with her stepmother and half-sister named Cam, who always finds a way to harm her.

After facing challenges, Tam finally gets married with the King and lives happily.

"We have invested a big sum of more than US$900,000 on the film to guarantee our production quality meets audience demand," said Van.

Van invited young actresses Ha Vi and Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc, two of the industry's young talents, to play Tam and Cam.

She also invited veteran comedians Thanh Loc, Ngoc Giau and Huu Chau to work with her.

The film includes 3D effects with soundtracks by the popular pop band 365.

Van said that although she is experienced in movies, she has worked hard to challenge herself as a director.

"I wanted to discover and improve myself in a new field with new heights," the 37-year-old said.

Last year, Van enhanced her talent as a movie producer after several years working as a film actor.

Her film, Ngay Nay Ngay Nay (The Lost Dragon), was filmed in a studio designed as a 400-seat circus. It depicts the adventure of two women, who live in a planet far away from Earth.

They have a mission to discover Earth and its people. Both decide to live in a circus in HCM City where they learn about love and friendship.

The film attracted more than 500,000 viewers in HCM City after the first three weeks of release.

Van began her movie career in 2004 in a leading role in Rouge, a 13-part TV series produced by the international channel MTV Asia, after spending years on the catwalk and in music.

In 2006, she played a leading role in Dong Mau Anh Hung (The Rebel), a kung-fu feature directed by Vietnamese-American Charlie Nguyen.

The film won the Grand Jury Award at 2007 Sharing Visions, a biennial international film festival for Vietnamese filmmakers around the world, held in Los Angeles.

Van has performed in several films directed by talented Vietnamese and Viet kieu directors. — VNS