Leading lady: A scene in Faifo (Hoai Pho), a short film directed by Cuong Ngo, will be screened online for free this weekend.

HCM CITY (VNS)–Famous pop singer and producer Ngo Thanh Van appears to have further enhanced her image as a bankable movie star in the new film Faifo (Hoai Pho).

Van and her partner, Canadian-Vietnamese director Cuong Ngo, worked together on the film, which will be screened online for free this weekend.

The 30-minute piece uses an historic name for Hoi An, an old, picturesque port town located in the central coastal province of Quang Nam.

It depicts the epistolary love story between An (played by Van) and Minh (played by Thai actor Jimmy Kuang).

In the film, Van de-emphasises her good looks and performs realistically.

The film includes beautiful scenes of Hoi An with a musical score by young composer Duong Khac Linh.

After its premiere in HCM City on Sunday night, Faifo was praised by many viewers.

"Our film is like a poem in praise of the inner beauty of Hoi An and its people," said Van, who is also the film's creative director and producer.

Hoi An in Vietnamese means peaceful meeting place. It was known as Faifo to the French and other Europeans who one traded there.

The city was a Southeast Asian trading port dating from the 15th to 19th century. Its buildings and streets reflect both indigenous and foreign influences, which give it a unique style.

It is recognised as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Although the film is short, Van worked hard for the film because she wanted to "discover and improve myself in a new style with the talented director Cuong Ngo."

Director Cuong Ngo, an overseas Vietnamese, is a graduate in film production and directing at York University in Toronto, Canada.

Ngo has been involved in short films, TV commercials, documentaries, music videos and feature films.

His first feature film, Ngoc Vien Dong (Pearls of the Far East), was shot in Viet Nam and screened in both the US and Viet Nam last year.

The work features the lives of seven Vietnamese women of different backgrounds, starring Van and actresses such as Nhu Quynh, Truong Ngoc Anh, Hong Anh, Kieu Chinh and Phuong Quynh.

It won top prizes for best music and best cinematography at the 2012 California Independent Film Festival, after beating two competitors from Bulgaria and the US.

He divides his time between the US, Canada and Viet Nam. — VNS