Once rejected by the director for casting

The film Sleeping City revolves around Tao - a 26-year-old young man, living alone in the center of a bustling, prosperous city. One day, a group of thugs brought a prostitute to hide in the abandoned house where Tao was living. The young man was bullied and tortured by the group of thugs, and began to have drastic psychological changes.

The main role of the film was given to Quoc Toan. Although director Luong Dinh Dung really liked Quoc Toan's handsome and innocent face, he rejected him many times and even refused to continue casting.

Quoc Toan as Tao.

“Once Quoc Toan sent me a video, I sat down and watched it again and saw his spirit. I called Toan and asked: Are you determined? Toan said: I will do better than you think. I like that” – director Luong Dinh Dung recalled.

The director also revealed that the film was shot in just 10 days with a budget of 30,000 USD (over 700 million VND). This is a record low production budget that surprised many people for a movie.

Hien Le has many sensitive scenes with Quoc Toan.

Despite its low budget, Sleepy City was selected for the Grand Prix nomination for Best Feature Film at the 25th TallinnBlacknights Film Festival (LHF World Category A), selected for the Soul of Asia category at the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), selected for the Panorama category at the 49th FNC Duneuvu Film Festival, Canada and nominated for the Netpac Award at the 26th Kolkata International Film Festival (India).

The film Sleeping City has many bold and creepy scenes, depicting human nature. The film is rated 18+ and will be shown in theaters in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from October 13.

An Nguyen

Source: https://vtc.vn/nam-chinh-thanh-pho-ngu-gat-tung-bi-dao-dien-tu-choi-casting-ar827657.html