A TV series on the culture and lifestyle of the ethnic Khmer people living in Vietnam's southwest region will be filmed this week. The 30-part work, titled Hay Cung Em Dieu Sarikakeo (Join Me in the Sarikakeo Dance), is being made by Vang Mien Nam (Southern Gold) Film Studio, a private film and entertainment company in HCM City. Based on a screenplay by Nguyen Thi Hong Xuan, it is about the life and love of Sophia, a Khmer woman who lives in a small village in Soc Trang Province in the early 1980s. The film recounts Sophia's time as a Sarikakeo dancer in her native village before she moved to An Giang Province and learned weaving.
Sarikakeo is a traditional dance of the Khmer.
Truong Son Hai, the film's director, said he and his producer chose Xuan's screenplay because few films had focused on this topic.
"We wanted to spotlight the Khmer people and their culture, lifestyle and dance," he said.
Hai said his crew would begin filming in the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta province of Soc Trang and then in Tra Vinh and Ca Mau.
Skilled dancers from local traditional art troupes like Anh Binh Minh will be in the film.
The film's post-production work will be completed early next year.
There are nearly 1.3 million Khmer people in the delta, mostly in Soc Trang and Tra Vinh.
The Khmer celebrate their New Year's festival, the Chol Chnam Thmay, which is similar to Vietnamese Tet Lunar New Year, following the Khmer traditional calendar. During the festival, dozens of professional artists from local art troupes travel around the three provinces of Tra Vinh, Soc Trang and Ca Mau to perform special programmes featuring the culture and lifestyle of the Khmer. Wearing traditional Khmer clothes, the performers show off their talent in singing and dancing. They also stage plays on topics focusing on the religion, traditional custom and art of the Khmer. Through their shows, Khmer youth can improve their knowledge about the traditional culture and art. Local people and visitors can participate in many cultural activities, such as music and singing programmes, traditional games and sports competitions launched by local authorities.
