Hungry ghosts is a supernatural ghosts story with four-part TV drama series base on the Vietnam War that has haunted Australian Vietnamese communities in Australia for generations. It has been funded by Screen Australia with the help of Film Australia in collaboration with SBS. It will be released later this 2019 and the NBCUniversal International Distribution will distribute worldwide later on.
As the story goes, Timothy Hobart, one of the writer and producer-director who is also responsible for casting the Hungry Ghosts elaborates that, it is a story that related to past Vietnam War traumatization endure by many generations of Australian Vietnamese when an amulet is broken during the Hungry Ghost Festival in Melbourne, bringing with him vengeful spirits back to the world who want to seek revenge, loves and grudge. A young Vietnamese woman who has not taken any responsibility previously has to jump in to take actions to end this phenomenon.
Specifically for the Vietnamese and their relationship with the hungry ghost festival and with the ancestral worship, the ideas are that the dead must be given a proper burial, and they must be venerated and looked after, and the great tragedy of course for the Vietnam War was so many men women and children were lost, and they never been given a proper burial. They have a lost or lost at sea in the great exodus, and so this creates such a great trauma for the survivors that they were never able to bury the ones they loved, and they fear that those who didn't receive a proper burial become hungry ghosts.Timothy Hobart
Mr Hobart says that this casting is mainly in Australia especially in Melbourne and then some of the scenes are some of the flashbacks in Vietnam but due to the difficulties of casting in Vietnam, far-north Queensland-Cairns and Innisfail will be chosen to shoot instead on the 24th June 2019.
Hmong and Vietnamese community members are invited to join the casting as extras, who will not take any main roles but rather be on the background when casting.
Mr Hobart says that those who want to participate should contact Sian Williams from the Extras Casting, part of the Hungry Ghosts Production through Match Box Pictures. He further explains that it is a paid role and will be sorted out accordingly base on each individual case.
Timothy Hobart says it is SBS who promotes Australian diversity and multicultural society who wants Australian communities to have a role and representing in the filming industries.
Read more story about Hungry Ghosts from the following lists:
- https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2019/05/13/bryan-brown-and-clare-bowen-star-new-sbs-drama-hungry-ghosts
- https://www.filmink.com.au/public-notice/screen-australia-announces-7-5-million-production-funding-seven-projects/
- https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/funding-and-support/television-and-online/funding-approvals/2018-2019-television-production-funding
- https://tvtonight.com.au/2019/05/filming-begins-on-hungry-ghosts-for-sbs.html
Mloog tau SBS Hmong hnub zwj Teeb (Thursday) 6 pm, hnub zwj Hnub (Sunday) 11 am, los yog koom tau ntxiv ntawm Facebook, Google podcasts, Spotify thiab Apple podcasts. Download SBS Audio app thiab mloog tau SBS Hmong YouTubelos yog caum SBS Hmong pod follow.
