Vietnam Hit ‘The Real Sister’ Sets Global Release Ahead of EFM

Vietnamese family drama “The Real Sister” is headed to international screens following its breakout success at home. The Live On production, which has dominated Vietnam‘s box office for five consecutive weeks, will roll out across North America beginning Feb. 21 through Eastern Edge Films Inc. (EEF), followed by releases in Australia and New Zealand on Feb. 27 via Infinity Entertainment.

Since its Dec. 20 debut in Vietnam, the tear-jerker has emerged as a hit, outperforming major studio releases. The film has raked in $4.4 million from 1.3 million admissions, landing among Vietnam’s top five highest-grossing domestic films of 2024.

Directed by Khuong Ngoc and produced by Pham Tran Bao Quyen, “The Real Sister” assembles an all-female ensemble of Vietnamese box office heavyweights including Viet Huong, Hong Dao, Ngoc Trinh, Le Khanh and Dinh Y Nhung. The drama follows a terminally ill sister-in-law whose reunion with her four younger sisters unravels as long-simmering family tensions surface.

New Jersey-based EEF, founded by Jawahar Sharma, specializes in theatrical and non-theatrical distribution of Asian and Arabic-language films across North America. For the release of “The Real Sister,” EEF has partnered with PR specialist Dr. Jacqueline Thu Thao and marketing expert Bryan Khoi Nguyen to spearhead the film’s North American campaign.

Skyline Media is handling worldwide sales and will showcase the title to buyers at Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM) this month and Hong Kong’s FilMart in March. The film headlines Skyline’s 2025 slate of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian fare, which includes horror-comedy “The Ancestral Home,” Thai-Vietnamese chiller “The Bride,” thriller “The Silent Game,” music doc “Hoang Thuy Linh: Vietnamese Concert Film” and Cambodian horror “Beheading.”

“We are delighted to partner with EEF and Infinity Entertainment to bring ‘The Real Sister’ to audiences in North America, Australia and New Zealand, where Vietnamese cinema is gaining increasing recognition,” said Skyline Media distribution manager Alice Nguyen. She added that the film’s domestic success “is a clear testament to the potential of Vietnamese films on the global stage.”