This screening cannot be played in Southeast Asia or Taiwan. The short Newspapers plays before Fanti. Newspapers implies the aftermath of violence. Fanti contains violence and is not intended for younger audiences.

Andy Nguyễn’s thriller, Fanti, explores the pitfalls of digital desirability. Upstart actress Anh Duong (Nguyễn Lâm Thảo Tâm) meticulously curates her Instagram profile and is hoping to be a star. Just as she lands a film role that she hopes will take her to the top, Anh begins getting mysterious messages and creepy photos from a mysterious stalker. The stalker escalates and begins terrorizing her, putting Anh’s burgeoning career in jeopardy. Throughout all of this, she also has to deal with her ambitious, pushy mother (Khanh Le, 2000’s The Vertical Ray of the Sun), a sleazy agent, and the stresses of the film industry. Will she be able to keep her life and career safe? 

Befitting its themes, Fanti is a slick, glossy thriller exploring celebrity, social media, filial relations, and the burgeoning Vietnamese film industry. Building tension out of everything from social media user interfaces to dinner parties, Fanti’s twist-filled narrative will entertain. Nguyễn Lâm Thảo Tâm conveys the thrills perfectly, showing the vulnerabilities of young, female celebrities. A Lotte Film Vietnam and HKFillm production, Fanti is also Viet Film Fest alumni Andy Nguyễn’s first feature length film, which won him Best New Director at the 23rd Vietnam Film Festival. As a director, this is Andy Nguyễn’s first entry into VFF since his short film Forever in Hiatus (2012; VFF 2013).

By Chenglin Lee