Life
Jordan Vogt-Roberts: My mission is to introduce Vietnam's image to the world
Hollywood film director Jordan Vogt-Roberts believed that Vietnam would soon be a destination favored by international tourists after the success of the film "Kong: Skull Island", and that his mission was to promote Vietnam through the box office.
The director made the statement at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 13 during which Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien presented a decision appointing him as the tourism ambassador of Vietnam for the 2017-2020.
With the appointment, Jordan Vogt-Roberts has become the first foreign director holding this position.
Jordan Vogt-Roberts, 33, is an emerging director in the US and Kong: Skull Island is his third film. He was the first person who explores the whole Son Doong Cave, the world’s largest cave.
"Kong: Skull Island" tells the story of a group of explorers who go in search of the birthplace of the lord of giant apes. It was shot in Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh, Van Long Natural Reserve and Trang An Complex in Ninh Binh, and the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh.
The blockbuster set a new record in box office revenues in Vietnam after snagging 18.2 billion VND (798,200 USD) from the opening day on March 10 and early screenings on March 9 night, becoming the film with the biggest opening of all time in the country.
During the ceremony, Jordan Vogt-Roberts shared his experiences working on the most ambitious film project of his career to date, as well as his personal plans for the future.
Vogt-Roberts admitted to having faced tremendous pressure while working on the $180 million blockbuster, as his previous independent projects only had an average budget of around $2 million.
The director said all he could do was try to make a film that everyone could enjoy. Having visited locations in Hawaii, Australia and Thailand for the setting of "Kong: Skull Island", the director opted for Vietnam the moment he saw the breathtaking landscapes of the country’s northern region.
Vogt-Roberts recalled having found himself overwhelmed by the beauty of the views, landscapes, colors and shapes of the Vietnamese provinces of Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh and Quang Binh that he and the crew had never seen before.
It was at that moment that he knew no other place would be a more suitable home for Kong, the magnificent king of all monsters.
The director was intrigued by the idea of shooting the film at a location where no other Hollywood film crew had set foot on before.
"I honestly don't think the rest of the world truly knows how beautiful this country is and how amazing the people are and how incredible the food is," he said.
He had tasked himself with showing the world how beautiful Vietnam really is, even before a unanimous vote by members of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) nominated the Kong director to become the country's next tourism ambassador in the 2017-20 tenure.
All 13 members of the VNAT council backed Vogt-Roberts’ nomination during a voting session on March 9, an offer the U.S. director delightedly welcomed.
The director said no words could describe how proud and humbled he was to receive the honour, or how passionately he was in love with the Southeast Asian country.
Vogt-Roberts believed that Vietnam would soon be a destination favored by international tourists after the success of the film, and that his mission was to promote Vietnam through the box office.
“I hope they go and explore Vietnam, fall in love with the landscapes, the people, the culture and the food. I want them to fall in love the way that I did,” he said.
The director said he had already thought of selling his residence in Los Angeles to buy a house in Ho Chi Minh City, where he would be working on a personal film project with the participation of Vietnamese and international actors and actresses.
He said he would be working with not only those in the film industry but also artists in other domains, as they are a great source of inspiration full of energy and potential.
The minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism presents a decision appointing Jordan Vogt-Roberts as the tourism ambassador of Vietnam for the 2017-2020.
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Jordan Vogt-Roberts, 33, is an emerging director in the US and Kong: Skull Island is his third film. He was the first person who explores the whole Son Doong Cave, the world’s largest cave.
"Kong: Skull Island" tells the story of a group of explorers who go in search of the birthplace of the lord of giant apes. It was shot in Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh, Van Long Natural Reserve and Trang An Complex in Ninh Binh, and the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh.
A beatiful landscape of Quang Binh province was introduced at the film
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During the ceremony, Jordan Vogt-Roberts shared his experiences working on the most ambitious film project of his career to date, as well as his personal plans for the future.
Vogt-Roberts admitted to having faced tremendous pressure while working on the $180 million blockbuster, as his previous independent projects only had an average budget of around $2 million.
The director said all he could do was try to make a film that everyone could enjoy. Having visited locations in Hawaii, Australia and Thailand for the setting of "Kong: Skull Island", the director opted for Vietnam the moment he saw the breathtaking landscapes of the country’s northern region.
Vogt-Roberts recalled having found himself overwhelmed by the beauty of the views, landscapes, colors and shapes of the Vietnamese provinces of Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh and Quang Binh that he and the crew had never seen before.
Vogt-Roberts believes that Vietnam would soon be a destination favored by international tourists after the success of the film.
|
The director was intrigued by the idea of shooting the film at a location where no other Hollywood film crew had set foot on before.
"I honestly don't think the rest of the world truly knows how beautiful this country is and how amazing the people are and how incredible the food is," he said.
He had tasked himself with showing the world how beautiful Vietnam really is, even before a unanimous vote by members of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) nominated the Kong director to become the country's next tourism ambassador in the 2017-20 tenure.
All 13 members of the VNAT council backed Vogt-Roberts’ nomination during a voting session on March 9, an offer the U.S. director delightedly welcomed.
The director said no words could describe how proud and humbled he was to receive the honour, or how passionately he was in love with the Southeast Asian country.
Vogt-Roberts believed that Vietnam would soon be a destination favored by international tourists after the success of the film, and that his mission was to promote Vietnam through the box office.
“I hope they go and explore Vietnam, fall in love with the landscapes, the people, the culture and the food. I want them to fall in love the way that I did,” he said.
The director said he had already thought of selling his residence in Los Angeles to buy a house in Ho Chi Minh City, where he would be working on a personal film project with the participation of Vietnamese and international actors and actresses.
He said he would be working with not only those in the film industry but also artists in other domains, as they are a great source of inspiration full of energy and potential.
