EXCLUSIVE: Rising Vietnamese sales agent Mockingbird Pictures has picked up international rights to local horror The Whispering Spirit, starring Tram Anh (Face Off 7: One Wish), and is launching sales here at Busan’s Asian Contents and Film Market (ACFM).
The company has also picked up two Indonesian horror titles – Bridge Of Judgment (Jembatan Shiratal Mustaqim) and Labinak: They Are Almost Us – and is making its first push into regional co-production.
Set for Vietnamese release in the fourth quarter of 2025, The Whispering Spirit is based on ancient myths about special days known as ‘Tam Nương’ that have curses placed on them. The story follows a young mother, played by Tram Anh, who moves to the city with her three children in the hope of a better future, not realising her new home was built on a cursed day meaning that every owner is doomed to die.
The film is produced by Vietnam’s Karakter Film and co-directed by Peter Pham and Tran Duy Linh.
Labinak: They Are Almost Us stars Raihaanun, one of Indonesia’s biggest actresses, and actor Arifin Putra, known for The Raid 2. The story follows a teacher who gets a job at an elite private school, unaware the staff are looking for a volunteer human sacrifice to take part in a cannibalistic ritual.
Released in late August in Indonesia, the film is produced by Anami Films and directed by Azhar Kinoi Lubis, whose credits include horror hit Petaka Gunung Gede, currently the third biggest film of 2025 in Indonesia with 3.2 million admissions.
Bridge Of Judgment is produced by Indonesia’s Dee Company, which was also behind 2024 horror hit Vina: Before 7 Days, Indonesia’s second biggest film last year with 5.8 million admissions, and 2023 horror hit Siksa Neraka.
Directed by Bounty Umbara (Vina: Before 7 Days), the horror is set against the Padang Mahsyar where souls are judged for their sins before making their way to the bridge connecting heaven and hell. The film is set for release in Indonesia in the fourth quarter of this year.
Mockingbird Pictures entered the international sales business last year after becoming established as one of Vietnam’s largest independent distributors, releasing Asian and U.S. films, and is also affiliated with production company Bluebells Studios.
The company is now planning to expand into co-production. “Vietnam has emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic and fastest-growing theatrical markets. At Mockingbird Pictures and Bluebells Studios, with a proven record of box office successes across Vietnam and the region, as well as trusted expertise in world sales, we believe this momentum opens a remarkable window for co-production and strategic investment,” said Mockingbird’s business director Phong Duong.
“We invite partners to collaborate with us in creating world-class, culturally resonant films that will not only thrive in Vietnam’s booming box office but also reach and inspire audiences worldwide.”
Mockingbird’s ACFM slate also includes Exorcise: The Blood Demon, starring Kieu Minh Tuan (Blood Moon Party), Diep Bao Ngoc (Face Off 6: The Ticket Of Destiny) and Nutthatcha Padovan, the child star from Thailand’s hit Death Whisperer series. Directed by Do Quoc Trung, the film is inspired by the ghost stories of Vietnam’s Northwestern mountains and is being lined up for release in the first quarter of next year.