Saigon electric
Encyclopedia
Saigon Electric also known as Saigon Yo! is a 2010 Vietnamese
hip hop film
directed by Stephane Gauger
. It will be released on December 17, 2010 in big cities and provinces in Vietnam
such as Hanoi
, Saigon, Da Nang
and Can Tho.
dancer from a local crew SAIGON FRESH. Mai enters their lives as the crew trains at the community center with their own dreams: to compete internationally in South Korea
. To do so, they have to beat national champs North Killaz from Hanoi
. Soon enough, Kim moves in with Mai and the two teens become kindred spirits, working together at the SAMSUNG
store as promo girls. Mai’s landlord, the Professor, becomes concerned with Mai hanging out with her new friend, but Mai finds a family with the dance crew, until the one night Kim takes on her rival B-girl from the North crew at an underground battle. Kim loses to the battle and embarrasses her crew. Do-Boy, Saigon Fresh’s team captain, scolds Kim and she defiantly quits the team.
Hai enters the picture. A rich kid from a powerful family, he takes a liking to the streetsmart Kim. Kim brushes him off at first, not remotely wanting anything to do with a “Richie”, but soon Hai wins her over with his charm and dreams of a better future, whisking her away to the beach of Vung Tau
. Mai's friendship with Kim becomes strained as Kim grows infatuated with Hai, and Mai finds solace with Saigon Fresh captain Do-Boy. Mai and Do-Boy grow closer together as they spend time at the community center, where he teaches her the meaning of hip hop and she teaches him the beauty of traditional ribbon dance. She begins to teach ribbon dance at the center to young girls while the crew train for the big show without until bad news strikes. Mr. Le, a hotel developer, informs the crew that the community center will be torn down to make room for a large hotel. Distraught, the kids plead to the city officials who inform them that they have no choice but to close down the center.
Meanwhile on the beach, Hai and Kim live their fairy tale romance. He professes his love for Kim and promises that he will take her to England with him where he’ll study abroad. Kim meets Hai’s powerful father under the pretense that she’s from a respected family, but the man sees right through her. He forbids her from seeing Hai and holding back his son’s future and Kim’s world quickly crumbles. After Kim self-destructs from drugs at a night club, Mai and Doboy rescue her and bring her to the Professor’s home asking for help. The Professor nurses her back to health, and Kim humbles herself and asks to rejoin the team. The crew welcome her back with open arms as she finds comfort again on the dance floor. As Saigon Fresh trains for the upcoming big competition against the North crew, Mai sees her spirits ignited as she renews her training for ribbon dance, and the Professor finds new inspiration to compose his opera.
Will Hai resurface and try to win back the heart of Kim? Will Mai gather up the courage to audition again for the dance academy. Will the underdogs Saigon Fresh find a way to keep their beloved community center and battle out a victory over the North Killaz at the big competition? Saigon Electric is a movie that addresses the rites of passage of young adults in modern day Vietnam
, and their power to dream.
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
hip hop film
Hip hop film
Hip hop films are motion pictures that display the aesthetics and culture of hip hop, primarily use hip hop music in the soundtrack, and/or use hip hop artists as main characters. Often hip hop films will use video clips from recorded concerts and documentaries.-Origins:In 1982, all the elements...
directed by Stephane Gauger
Stephane Gauger
Stephane Gauger is a Vietnamese-American film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer.-Biography:Born in Saigon, South Vietnam to an American civilian contractor and his Vietnamese wife, Gauger was raised in Orange County, California and graduated from California State University, Fullerton in...
. It will be released on December 17, 2010 in big cities and provinces in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
such as Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, Saigon, Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
and Can Tho.
Director's notes
Plot
Mai, a traditional ribbon dancer from the countryside, arrives to the big city of Saigon in hopes of being admitted to the national dance academy. She rents a tiny room in a building from a reclusive music professor and gets a job at a fast food joint. After she falls victim to her inner fears and fails her auditions, she finds friendship with the rebellious Kim, a hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
dancer from a local crew SAIGON FRESH. Mai enters their lives as the crew trains at the community center with their own dreams: to compete internationally in South Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. To do so, they have to beat national champs North Killaz from Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
. Soon enough, Kim moves in with Mai and the two teens become kindred spirits, working together at the SAMSUNG
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
store as promo girls. Mai’s landlord, the Professor, becomes concerned with Mai hanging out with her new friend, but Mai finds a family with the dance crew, until the one night Kim takes on her rival B-girl from the North crew at an underground battle. Kim loses to the battle and embarrasses her crew. Do-Boy, Saigon Fresh’s team captain, scolds Kim and she defiantly quits the team.
Hai enters the picture. A rich kid from a powerful family, he takes a liking to the streetsmart Kim. Kim brushes him off at first, not remotely wanting anything to do with a “Richie”, but soon Hai wins her over with his charm and dreams of a better future, whisking her away to the beach of Vung Tau
Vung Tàu
Vũng Tàu is a city in southern Vietnam. Its population in 2005 was 240,000. The city area is including 13 urban wards and one village. It is the capital of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, and is the crude oil extraction center of Vietnam. It is also known as one of the most beautiful cities of tourism...
. Mai's friendship with Kim becomes strained as Kim grows infatuated with Hai, and Mai finds solace with Saigon Fresh captain Do-Boy. Mai and Do-Boy grow closer together as they spend time at the community center, where he teaches her the meaning of hip hop and she teaches him the beauty of traditional ribbon dance. She begins to teach ribbon dance at the center to young girls while the crew train for the big show without until bad news strikes. Mr. Le, a hotel developer, informs the crew that the community center will be torn down to make room for a large hotel. Distraught, the kids plead to the city officials who inform them that they have no choice but to close down the center.
Meanwhile on the beach, Hai and Kim live their fairy tale romance. He professes his love for Kim and promises that he will take her to England with him where he’ll study abroad. Kim meets Hai’s powerful father under the pretense that she’s from a respected family, but the man sees right through her. He forbids her from seeing Hai and holding back his son’s future and Kim’s world quickly crumbles. After Kim self-destructs from drugs at a night club, Mai and Doboy rescue her and bring her to the Professor’s home asking for help. The Professor nurses her back to health, and Kim humbles herself and asks to rejoin the team. The crew welcome her back with open arms as she finds comfort again on the dance floor. As Saigon Fresh trains for the upcoming big competition against the North crew, Mai sees her spirits ignited as she renews her training for ribbon dance, and the Professor finds new inspiration to compose his opera.
Will Hai resurface and try to win back the heart of Kim? Will Mai gather up the courage to audition again for the dance academy. Will the underdogs Saigon Fresh find a way to keep their beloved community center and battle out a victory over the North Killaz at the big competition? Saigon Electric is a movie that addresses the rites of passage of young adults in modern day Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and their power to dream.
Cast
- Van Trang as Mai
- Quynh Hoa as Kim
- Ha Pham Anh Hien as Do-Boy
- Khuong Ngoc as Hai
- Elly Tran Ha as Hoa
- Phan Tan Thi as "The Professor"