The East Winds Film Festival in the UK will open with a screening of Viet Nam’s first fantasy action film, Lua Phat (Once Upon a Time in Viet Nam).  Co-organised by Third Window Films, the UK’s largest distributor of East Asian films, and Coventry University, the festival will take place at the university from 31 October - 3 November. 

The event aims to introduce East Asian movies to students and local residents in the midlands region of the UK, where they rarely have the opportunity to witness the diversity and abundance of Far Eastern cinema.

The film Lua Phat begins in a small village where innocents are being mistreated by a notorious gang leader and his accomplices.  The only person who stands up to them is Hien, a baker in the village.

A scene from the film Lua Phat

Despite the dominance of the gang, Hien and his beautiful wife speak up and call for the villagers to rise up against the gang.  At the same time, a mysterious man called Dao arrives and witnesses this unbalanced conflict.  Dao sides with the villagers, a war begins, and parts of Dao's mysterious past are revealed.

Directed by Vietnamese-born American Dustin Nguyen, Lua Phat features famous domestic and foreign actors and actresses.  They include Thai Hoa, Ngo Thanh Van, Dinh Ngoc Diep, Hieu Hien, Phi Thanh Van, and Roger Yuan, a Hollywood action director and actor.

The film has recently signed copyright contracts for screening with Lionsgate, which is one of North America's largest film publishers and distributors, as well as with various film distributors in more than 20 countries and territories worldwide.