EXCLUSIVE: Vietnam-based sales agent Skyline Media and Eastern Edge Films are collaborating on a North American theatrical release for Blood Moon Rite 8, a Vietnamese comedy based on Japanese cult hit One Cut Of The Dead. 

Directed by Phan Gia Nhat Linh (Sweet 20) and starring a hot ensemble cast, the film is set to roll out in more than 90 theaters across major Vietnamese communities in the U.S. and Canada, including California, Texas and Washington, from May 22. 

A hit in Vietnam over the recent Reunification Day and Labor Day holidays, the film marks the long-awaited big-screen return of comedy legend Van Son after 25 years. 

Also starring in the film are popular Vietnamese-American actors Charlie Nguyen (The Rebel) and Quang Minh (Jailbait), alongside a star-studded ensemble including Lien Binh Phat (Song Lang), Le Khanh (The Real Sister), Hong Anh (The Moon At The Bottom Of The Well), Hua Vi Van (Blood Moon Party) and Lam Thanh My (The Ancestral).

Produced by Chanh Phuong Films, Anh Teu Studio and Sidus And Teu Entertainment, the film is a Vietnamese reimagining of Shinichiro Ueda’s One Cut Of The Dead, which was a hit in Japan and ended up grossing more than 1,000 times its original budget worldwide. 

The film follows a struggling director, known as the “king of trash movies”, who gets one last chance to earn his art-loving daughter’s respect by taking on his biggest challenge yet: filming a 35-minute zombie movie – live, in one single take. 

Blending industry satire, emotional family themes and playful action, Blood Moon Rite 8 also features cameos from some of Vietnam’s biggest stars and filmmakers, including Tran Thanh (Mai), Thu Trang (Money Kisses), Nguyen Quang Dung (Song Of The South), Huynh Lap (The Ancestral Home), Kieu Minh Tuan (Phi Phong: The Blood Demon), Thai Hoa (Hijacked) and Kaity Nguyen (Jailbait).

New Jersey-based Eastern Edge Films, founded by Jawahar Sharma, specializes in theatrical and non-theatrical distribution of Asian and Arabic-language films across North America. 

The company’s recent collaborations with Skyline Media include The Real Sister, The Ancestral Home and Leaving Mom, all of which ranked among the most successful Vietnamese theatrical releases in North America over the past few years. 

Skyline Media is one of Southeast Asia’s biggest sales agent, handling more than 150 Vietnamese and Southeast Asian titles, and also acquires films for release in Vietnam.