SYNOPSIS
Phong grew up in a small town in Central Vietnam as the youngest of six siblings. From an early age, Phong felt like a girl trapped in a boy’s body. It was only after moving to Hanoi to attend university at age 20 that Phong realized she was not alone in this experience. Her dream of “finding herself” through gender transition came true a few years later.
The film tells the story of Phong’s struggle during these years, featuring excerpts from her private video diaries, as well as meetings with family, friends, and doctors – all of whom must come to accept her determination to become a complete young woman.
CREDIT
Director: Trần Thị Phương Thảo
Born in 1977 in Hanoi, Vietnam, she moved to France in 2000 to pursue her dream of becoming a documentary filmmaker. After graduating in Political Science in Paris, she studied documentary filmmaking techniques and screenwriting at the University of Poitiers.
Returning to Vietnam, she joined the Varan Vietnam workshop, where she directed the film Workers Dream (Giấc mơ là công nhân), which participated in many international film festivals and won the P. Perrault Award at Cinéma du Réel in 2007.
Trở về Việt Nam, cô tham gia workshop Varan Vietnam, nơi cô đạo diễn bộ phimGiấc mơ là công nhân, từng tham gia nhiều liên hoan phim quốc tế và đoạt giải P. Perrault tại Cinéma du Réel năm 2007.
Genre: Documentary
Production: Nicole Pham
Cinematography: Swann Dubus, Trần Phương Thảo, Lê Anh Phong
Sound: Hoàng Thu Thuỷ, Franck Desmoulins
Editing: Aurelie Ricard
CLIPS
PHOTOS
Other Films
DUST
Once upon a time, there was an old lady, a boy and a dog. All day long, they roamed the streets, pushing their little truck so as to glean cardboard and plastic which they sell to whoever pays the most. They only return home when the city is fast asleep.
FIND OUT
Pottery seller
To escape from the difficulties of life in the countryside, Hung and Thuy decide to sell ceramic ware. They mortgage their family home to buy a boat which is used to transport the goods. They travel down the Red River to reach Hanoi, the capital, and sell their pots as best they can. Their new direction is not so easy.
FIND OUT
Daddy’s come home
Without sufficient work in the countryside, many peasants go to Hanoi to sell their labor force. As day laborers, they wait in the streets of the city until a job is offered them. After particularly arduous work, some decide to return to the countryside to be near their wives and children. The main character, surrounded by his neighbors, recounts the difficulties and the differences in living conditions between the city and the country.
FIND OUT
Thanh Cong village, Thanh Cong neighbourhood
In an old district of Hanoi, formerly a village, new loud speakers must be repaired and installed. By observing everyday life, Vang Anh films with humor the animation caused by this event and plunges us into the heart of Vietnamese contradictions.
FIND OUT
