Ho Chi Minh City Radio and Television (HTV), in collaboration with TFS Film Studio, has officially unveiled Bãi Săn, a multi-episode short-film project produced with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The film is adapted from the science-fiction novel of the same name by writer Nguyễn Đình Tú, a contributor to Van Nghe Quan Doi Magazine. The project was launched on September 29 in Ho Chi Minh City.
The production marks the first multi-episode film project in which HTV-TFS has directly incorporated AI into its filmmaking process, with technological support from CapCut. Designed specifically for digital platforms and the growing short-form content market, Bãi Săn will comprise 15 episodes, each running approximately three minutes, and will be directed by Hồng Phúc.
AI will be used primarily to generate visual elements and settings and to support post-production, using the Seedance 2.5 platform and EditPilot. Human creativity, however, remains at the heart of the filmmaking process. TFS’s professional production team is responsible for adapting the novel into a screenplay, editing, directing, voice acting and final film editing, ensuring that the production retains its artistic vision and the spirit of the original work.
The Bãi Săn project, writer Nguyễn Đình Tú and Phạm Việt Phước, Director of TFS, the production company.
Bãi Săn follows a schoolgirl gifted with the ability to decipher ancient scripts. Her life takes an unexpected turn when her close friend transforms into a Dragon Man following an accident, drawing her into a conflict between the Beast People and a secretive organization of hunters. As she searches for answers, she is also drawn into the mysteries hidden beneath the Imperial University.
Beyond its science-fiction elements, the story explores questions of good and evil, prejudice and human connection. It conveys the message that the line between good and evil is not determined by one’s species, but by the choices one makes. Friendship, love and family bonds are portrayed as forces capable of overcoming prejudice, healing hatred and nurturing empathy and hope.
Mai Đặng, Director of Operations of CapCut Vietnam, which provided AI tools for the film’s production.
The two-volume novel Bãi Săn, comprising Giếng cổ (The Ancient Well) and Phản đồ (The Countermap), was published in 2019 by Alpha Books in cooperation with the Literature Publishing House.
Through the project, TFS aims to gain practical experience in AI-assisted filmmaking, develop new production workflows and explore the technology’s potential in visually demanding genres such as documentary and historical films.
The first season of Bãi Săn is scheduled to premiere during the 2027 Lunar New Year holiday across HTV’s multimedia platforms.
Translated by MINH KIÊN
VNQD