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Cinema Department responds to complaint regarding 'The Last Empress' film
Báo Tiền Phong
19/08/2026
15:14
TPO - The Overseas Nguyen Phuc Clan Council has filed a complaint opposing the feature film "The Last Empress," alleging that the film infringes upon personal rights and insults the honor of the deceased. Leadership from the Cinema Department responded to Tien Phong reporters regarding this matter on the afternoon of August 17.
Dàn diễn viên tham gia phim điện ảnh Hoàng hậu cuối cùng.
On the evening of August 16, the Overseas Nguyen Phuc Clan Council, along with Prince Bao An and youngest Prince Patrick Edouard Nguyen Phuc (direct descendants and legal co-heirs of Emperor Bao Dai), submitted a complaint regarding the feature film The Last Empress.
The complaint was sent to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST), the Cinema Department, and the film's producers and distributors.
The content of the complaint expresses opposition to the feature film The Last Empress, arguing that it infringes upon personal rights and insults the honor of the deceased. Furthermore, the petitioners assert that the film illegally exploits the identities and family stories of former Emperor Bao Dai, Empress Nam Phuong, Empress Dowager Tu Cung, and their children.
"We demand that the producers clarify copyright agreements and commit to not arbitrarily using exclusive fictionalized details from other modern research works without permission. The fact that the sons of former Emperor Bao Dai have officially signed the protest serves as legal proof that this project lacks the family's consensus," the complaint states.
The complaint requests that the producers conduct professional consultations and obtain written approval regarding cultural and historical accuracy from the Nguyen Phuc Clan Council of Vietnam, while ensuring transparency regarding source materials.
Cảnh trong trailer Hoàng hậu cuối cùng.
Additionally, if the producers cannot provide historical evidence, the Nguyen Phuc Clan Council of Vietnam demands that character names be changed to avoid direct association with the clan's honor.
The Nguyen Phuc Clan Council requires the involved parties to provide a written response within 15 days. If the issue is not resolved, the family will request that the Cinema Department revoke any filming permits and will pursue further legal action.
On the afternoon of August 17, Mr. Dang Tran Cuong, Director of the Cinema Department, stated that the Department had received the aforementioned complaint, which was submitted on July 25. However, as the project The Last Empress has not yet undergone censorship, there is no basis for the Cinema Department to provide a response.
The project is currently incomplete and has not been submitted to the Appraisal Council as required by the Law on Cinema.
Previously, in mid-July, leaders of the Cinema Department emphasized that the regulatory agency could not yet draw any conclusions regarding The Last Empress at this time.
"In our capacity as the state management agency for cinema, we can only evaluate based on a completed product. When the producers submit the final version of the film to the Cinema Department, the Council will review the entire work. Based on the Council's opinion, the Department will then issue a conclusion in accordance with regulations," Mr. Dang Tran Cuong affirmed.
The Last Empress is a film project directed by Bao Nhan and Nam Cito. Inspired by the marriage between Emperor Bao Dai and Empress Nam Phuong, the film does not recreate history in a documentary style but explores a story of love, family, status, and the choices made by the characters during the final years of the Nguyen Dynasty.
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