Synopsis
Sương, a young girl from rural Vietnam, migrates to the bustling city of Saigon in hopes to find a job. She happens upon a small local eatery where she is offered a job working and living alongside two other migrant women. The three spend their days together. Within the caging, barren walls of the eatery, their mornings are filled with repetitive tasks, and the rest of the day with vacuous, tedious hours. Behind her veil of apathy, Sương battles a dilemma that she soon has to face with her family.
Presented by the directors
Filmmaker
Mai Huyền Chi
A graduate at the London Film School, Chi has earned writing credits for A Brixton Tale (Slamdance 2021) and My Mr. Wife before joining The Girl from Dak Lak as a co-director. Chi is currently developing The River Knows Our Names, about the stateless community on the Mekong River near the Cambodia-Vietnam border. Besides films, Chi collaborates with artists of different disciplines to produce dance films and performative multimedia works.
Filmography: La chica de Dak Lak (codirected, 2021, D'A 2022), Autumn Letters (short, 2021), Down the Stream (short, 2015)
Pedro Román
Born and raised in Madrid, Pedro moved to London after finishing his degree in Media. It was in the British capital where he really started his filming career, working at a production company while developing a handful of shorts. He then moved to Ho Chi Minh City, where he developed his first feature film, The Girl from Dak Lak, with a clear intent to make a movie with only a script outline, non-professional cast, and a minimal crew.
Filmography: La chica de Dak Lak (codirected, 2021, D'A 2022), Him/Her (short, 2014), Cristina (short, 2014)
Poster
