Vietnam is one of the youngest countries, concerning its film history. Its development was slowed by wars, the division of the country into two parts and 50 years of socialism.
Despite that, emerging directors from Vietnam now confidently assert themselves in the international cinema arena, introducing their own cultural codes into the modern context and reflecting on the connection with their homeland.
Curated by Sasha Prokopenko
Blood
A TRIP TO HEAVEN | TTHIÊN ĐƯỜNG GỌI TÊN
Linh Dương
Viet Nam | 2020, 15 min
During a peculiar tour bus to Mekong Delta, 50-year-old Mdm.Tam bumps into her high school sweetheart. She's hopeful for a chance of reconciliation, but maybe he's not.
LIVE IN CLOUD-CUCKOO LAND | MÂY NHU'NG KHÔNG MU'A
Phạm Hoàng Minh Thy, Vũ Minh Nghĩa
Viet Nam | 2020, 20 min
A modern tale of Kafka in Vietnam — a country in the middle of a transformation. The film feels like a piece of cultural news with daily events: a wedding, traffic congestion, a robbery, a mystical metamorphosis and a love story.
THE ETERNAL SPRINGTIME | MÙA XUÂN VĨNH CỬU
Viet Vu
Viet Nam | 2021, 25 min
In a landscape on the brink of extinction, a son and mother trek into a native cave to be revitalized. By just quietly sitting together in their humble shelter, a loving energy is shared through these two human beings’ naked bodies. This personal portrait cuts deep into the vulnerable present of an ex-colonised nation transiting into the digital age. Seen from a first-person perspective, the film also explores a new possibility of storytelling.
THE UNSEEN RIVER | GIÒNG SÔNG KHÔNG NHÌN THẤY
Pham Ngoc Lan
Viet Nam, Laos | 2020, 23 min
Stories told along the river: a woman reunites with her ex-lover at a hydroelectric plant; meanwhile, a young man travels downstream to a temple in search of a cure for his insomnia.