Dustin Nguyen (right) stars as a poor tricycle driver who wins a lottery in the film. — Photo vietnamnet.vn

HA NOI (VNS) — A film entitled Trung So (Jackpot), directed by Dustin Nguyen, will be the Vietnamese entry for next year's best foreign film Oscar, the Viet Nam Department of Cinema has announced.

The film stars Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc, Chi Tai and Dustin Nguyen. It's based on the true story of Lanh, a lottery ticket seller in the southern Dong Thap Province, set in 2011. One day, a delivery tricycle driver orders some lottery tickets from Lanh and promises to pay and take the tickets later.

Lanh finds that the tickets the driver ordered have won VND6.6 billion (US$300,000). She takes the tickets to the driver and informs him about his good fortune, instead of claiming the prize herself.

Director Dustin Nguyen said he was moved by the story and inspired by people's kindness and honesty.

"I directed the film as a comedy and released it on the occasion of the Lunar New Year of the Goat (February)," he said.

"Though the film entertains the audience with humorous situations, it has a serious message about humanity and kindness."

The best foreign feature Oscar is presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogues.

The other Asian entries include The Last Reel (Cambodia), Wolf Totem (China), 100 Yen Love (Japan) and Men Who Save the World (Malaysia), besides The Throne (South Korea).

The Foreign Language Film Award Committee oversees the process and reviews all entries. Nine films will be shortlisted in mid-December. The final five nominees will be announced in January next year.

The 88th Oscars will honour the best films of 2015 and the award ceremony will take place on February 28 next year at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. — VNS