
Phạm Ngọc Lân
Directing
Biography
Pham Ngoc Lan is a Vietnamese artist whose work focuses on the direct, poetic and whimsical aspects of human life. Lan has made 3 shorts: The Story of Ones (2011, Visions du Reel), and two Berlinale Shorts Competition Another City (2016) & Blessed Land (2019). Lan is developing his first feature Cu Li Never Cries (Cannes L’Atelier, Busan APM, SEAFIC x Produire Au Sud & Talents Tokyo).
Known For

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.
The Unseen River
Uncovers the remarkable story of how this small nation has made an indelible mark on Asian cinema in the past five years. Through exclusive interviews and captivating scenes across seven countries, we learn the rich diversity of Singaporean stories, and cast a forward-looking gaze towards an exciting cinematic future. A documentary commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Singapore Film Commission.
Singapore Films: To The World & Back

A woman tries to cling onto dimming links to her past after inheriting a pygmy slow loris from her long-estranged husband; meanwhile, her niece prepares for marriage as the young couple ponders their gloomy future together. The present and the complex echoes of Vietnamese history are entwined before a contemplative and poetic perspective.
Cu Li Never Cries

When the urban landscape shapes the human relations: a mature woman, a bride and a group of young people seek proximity in the anonymity of the big city.
Another City

Produced by the Luang Prabang Film Festival, "MEKONG 2030" is a collection of short narrative films that envision the future of the Mekong River from five different national and cultural perspectives. Set in the year 2030, they aim to both entertain and inspire audiences to actively protect this critical life source.
Mekong 2030

Utilizing the banality of Vietnamese state radio broadcasts, The Story of Ones gives a face and a sense of place to the unseen and offers a personal counterpoint to the officially sanctioned. Like entering a roomful of stories, the viewer steps into an unfamiliar space guided only by the sound of the radio tuning in to lifestyle programming, call-in shows and radio dramas. The portraits and settings layered atop the aural landscape create questions, provide humor, offer context and withdraw explanation of what once seemed clear before entering the room.
The Story of Ones

An alien arrives on Earth on a quest to find assistance to rebuild his home. Under dissociated instruction of his spaceship, he makes a stopover at a construction site in Vietnam, where the biggest temple of the world is being built. In disguise, the alien encounters a reverent worshipper, a cynical construction worker and a mysterious medium. As the group performs a spirit summoning ceremony, the alien observes these individuals exchanging their different ideas of home.
Bình

In the dune landscape of a cemetery, or is it golf course? Past and present converge in the search for a grave.
Blessed Land

After her father's passing, a daughter returns to Vietnam to be with her mom. Their pilgrimage to Heaven Gate reflects their struggle to connect since his loss. The mother seeks reunion with her late husband, ascending mountains for solace. The daughter, grappling with vulnerability, joins, exploring her own abyss. Together, they search for healing and understanding amidst the sublime of nature.
Visiting Heaven Gate
The video creates an odd story, in which the old monitor is dragged around the precinct of an old French building while screening some ‘breaking television’ footages from Youtube.