Dužan Duong
Directing
Biography
Dužan Duong (1991) was born in Hanoi but has lived in the Czech Republic since age four. He got into filmmaking when recording his own dance performances. He previously shot the short docufiction Mat Goc (2014, Ji.hlava IDFF 2014) about his relationship to his native Vietnam, and also worked on Lukáš Kokeš’s V.I.P. / Vietnamese Important People (2013, Ji.hlava IDFF 2013). His latest film Bo Hai (2017), made through crowdfunding, was screened at Ji.hlava IDFF, won the Golden Kingfisher Award for the best student film at Finále Plzeň Film Festival and was nominated for the Czech Lion Award in the student film category as well as for the Czech Film Critics Award.
Known For
A teenage boy returns to his family after years apart, scarred from being sent to Vietnam while his younger brother stayed in Czechia. After reunion, he faces a distant father, a mother desperate to mend the past, and a brother uneasy about sharing the spotlight. One chaotic summer pushes them to their limits when the younger brother falls from a roof. Between misunderstandings and clumsy family dynamics, they learn that sometimes, healing begins by letting the cracks show.
Summer School, 2001
How do the children of Vietnamese parents view Vietnam - those who speak better Czech than Vietnamese and who feel more in touch with Western culture than with that of their parents? This film tries to answer such questions by combining documentary scenes with elements of acting and a clear dramatic arc. For one of two brothers, a forced journey to Vietnam becomes an opportunity to better understand his origins, and thus his own parents and even himself. Czech viewers get a chance to see behind the wall of uniform cultural stereotypes and breathe life-giving movement into the minority.
Mat goc
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
They think as Czechs, they speak as Czechs, but they look as Vietnamese. How is the second generation of Vietnamese people in Europe?