The Emperor Secret is chosen as Vietnam representative to the 99th Academy Awards international feature film race
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has officially issued a critical decree selecting the epic historical action drama The Emperor Secret as Vietnam’s official submission to compete in the Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming 99th Academy Awards. This decision follows rigorous deliberations by the National Selection Council tasked with choosing the country’s finest cinematic contender for the 2026–2027 Oscar cycle. With the formal announcement now made, the production team faces a strict countdown to finalize all required documentation, digital master files, and English-subtitled DCP prints before the Academy’s final submission deadline of 5:00 PM on October 1.
The selection of The Emperor Secret marks a significant milestone for Vietnamese cinema, bringing a grandiose historical narrative to the world stage of the prestigious Academy Awards. Directed by renowned filmmaker Nguyen Phan Quang Binh, the film boasts an all-star ensemble cast featuring prominent Vietnamese actors and martial arts icons, including Tuan Tran, Tran Thien Tu, Quach Ngoc Ngoan, Johnny Tri Nguyen, Hua Ve Van, Do Thuy Hai Yen, and People’s Artist Tran Long. Blending elements of myth, high-stakes action, political intrigue, and emotional depth, the movie dives deep into a turbulent era of Vietnam’s feudal history to craft a cinematic experience designed to resonate with global audiences and international film critics alike.
Plot Premise and Historical Backdrop
Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the late Dinh Dynasty, The Emperor Secret centers on a high-stakes covert mission entrusted to a specialized elite unit of ninety-nine royal guards. Their primary directive is to protect a deeply guarded state secret intimately tied to the final resting place and resting peace of Dinh Tien Hoang, the founding emperor of the Dinh dynasty. To ensure the ultimate security of this vital intelligence and to mislead opportunistic adversaries, treacherous political factions, and foreign agents seeking to locate the imperial burial site, the ninety-nine guards are dispatched across various treacherous routes throughout the realm.
This tactical dispersion serves as a brilliant tactical decoy, splitting the pursuit and drawing out treacherous factions who aim to exploit the imperial secrets for personal or regional power. By weaving historical legends with cinematic action sequences, adventure, and deeply personal character arcs, director Nguyen Phan Quang Binh and his production crew have constructed a multi-layered narrative. The film examines loyalty, sacrifice, national identity, and the heavy burden of leadership during a pivotal epoch when the foundation of Vietnam’s centralized imperial state was being forged through blood, strategy, and unyielding resolve.
International Festival Circuit and Global Exposure
Before earning the coveted endorsement from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for the Academy Awards race, The Emperor Secret embarked on an extensive and ambitious international film festival tour. The production has steadily built critical momentum across several major global cinematic platforms, introducing international arthouse audiences and industry executives to Vietnamese historical filmmaking on an unprecedented scale.
Most notably, the film was selected to screen at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) within the prestigious Gala Presentations section, an elite tier reserved for high-profile cinematic achievements and anticipated global releases. Following its successful North American showcase, the film secured another major international berth at the 31st Busan International Film Festival, where it was featured in the vibrant "A Window on Asian Cinema" program. These strategic festival selections not only elevated the film’s global profile but also established its technical prowess, artistic vision, and storytelling capabilities well ahead of the grueling Oscar nomination campaign.
Box Office Realities and Mid-Run Creative Pivots
Despite its soaring international festival prestige and monumental production scale, the domestic theatrical run of The Emperor Secret faced an unexpectedly challenging and turbulent box office journey. According to data tracked by Box Office Vietnam, the film accumulated a cumulative domestic gross of slightly more than 38 billion Vietnamese dong after spending a month competing in domestic theaters against formidable local and international blockbuster competitors.
Furthermore, the film encountered a wave of polarized audience reactions, particularly concerning structural pacing, script complexity, and the narrative development of several secondary character arcs. Demonstrating a rare and proactive willingness to listen to constructive audience feedback, the production team made the bold decision to actively re-edit the film while it was still actively screening in cinemas nationwide.
The newly streamlined cut successfully reduced the runtime to 135 minutes—shaving off approximately 20 minutes from the original theatrical release version. According to official statements released by the producers, this strategic editorial overhaul was executed to tighten the narrative momentum, elevate emotional stakes, and refine the overall cinematic pacing. This agile adaptation allowed the film to present a more polished, cohesive version of its ambitious story just as it transitions from domestic commercial exhibition to the grueling international awards spotlight.
The Road to the 99th Academy Awards
As the clock ticks down to the October 1 submission deadline, the administrative machinery behind The Emperor Secret is operating at full capacity to meet all technical and legal criteria mandated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Submitting a contender to the Best International Feature Film category involves navigating stringent technical guidelines, including the delivery of pristine Digital Cinema Packages (DCP) complete with verified English subtitles, comprehensive promotional materials, and official censorship clearances.
The National Selection Council expressed high hopes that The Emperor Secret will capture the attention of the Academy’s voting members, who have increasingly shown an appetite for internationally diverse storytelling with rich cultural specificity, high production values, and universal thematic undercurrents. While the competition in the international feature race is notoriously fierce—featuring submissions from established cinematic powerhouses across Europe, Asia, and Latin America—Vietnam’s official entry enters the preliminary screening rounds backed by significant festival validation and a visually striking historical canvas.
Implications for the Vietnamese Film Industry
The selection of The Emperor Secret underscores a broader, long-term strategic push by Vietnamese filmmakers and state cultural agencies to elevate the global standing of national cinema. Over the past decade, Vietnamese productions have steadily broken technical and artistic barriers, moving away from localized romantic comedies toward high-budget historical epics, psychological thrillers, and ambitious genre pieces capable of competing on the international stage.
Industry analysts note that securing a spot on the Oscar submission shortlist provides invaluable momentum for Vietnamese cinema, driving greater foreign distribution interest, fostering international co-production opportunities, and inspiring domestic studios to invest boldly in historical research, sophisticated action choreography, and superior post-production standards. Whether The Emperor Secret manages to navigate the notoriously selective Academy voting process to secure a historic nomination remains to be seen. Regardless of the final outcome, the film’s journey from a domestically debated theatrical release to the global stage of the 99th Academy Awards marks a defining chapter in the ongoing evolution of modern Vietnamese filmmaking.
