Published:  00:00 Thursday - August 05, 2010

A TV series on the culture and lifestyle of the ethnic Khmer people living in Vietnam’s southwest region will be filmed this week.

The 30-part series, titled Hay Cung Em Dieu Sarikakeo (Join Me in the Sarikakeo Dance), is being produced by Vang Mien Nam (Southern Gold) Film Studio, a private film and entertainment company in HCM City.

Based on a screenplay by Nguyen Thi Hong Xuan, the story concerns the life and love of Sophia, a Khmer woman living in a small village in Soc Trang province in the early 1980s.

The series recounts Sophia's time as a Sarikakeo dancer in her native village before she moves to An Giang province and learns weaving.

Sarikakeo is a traditional dance of the Khmer.

Truong Son Hai, the film's director, says he and his producer chose Xuan's screenplay because few films have focused on this topic.

"We wanted to spotlight the Khmer people - their culture, lifestyle and dance," he said.

VNA