SYNOPSIS
“Grave diggers for hire” is a quiet documentary following Bình and Ngọc, two men who make a living by exhuming graves at a rural cemetery near Hanoi. Behind this daily work are profound reflections on health, death, and the meaning of preserving a tradition that is gradually fading away. This documentary sensitively explores the lives of those maintaining the cultural practice of grave exhumation, shedding light on deeper human and social themes.
CREDIT
Director: Nguyễn Ánh
Nguyễn Ánh (born 1995, near Hanoi) graduated in graphic design in 2018. After nearly 7 years working in this field, she shifted to documentary filmmaking by joining the Varan Vietnam workshop at age 29. This marked a new creative path for her: exploring the art of non-fiction storytelling.
Genre: Documentary
Production: Varan Việt Nam | Trần Phương Thảo
Cinematography: Nguyễn Ánh
Sound:
Lê Thị Thắm, Nguyễn Văn Thanh, Trần Thị Phương Thảo, Nguyễn Hồ Bảo Nghi, Mý Đức, Cầm Đức Hiệp
Editing: Tạ Minh Đức
REWARDS, FESTIVALS AND DIFFUSIONS
Bremen Days of Ethnographic Film
Germany | 2026
CLIPS
PHOTOS
Other Films
The youth today
"The youth today" is about young people who live with their own passion and ignore their parent's wishes. This generation gap is very common in Vietnamese society today.
FIND OUT
Mrs Bua’s carpet
Ever since she was tortured during the war, Mrs Bua suffers from epilepsy. When she feels a fit coming, she spreads a carpet in front of her house and lies down. For her neighbors, it’s like a cue to drop in and care for her. In the evenings, they gather to sip tea, sing resistance movement songs and tell stories, ingrained at present into their collective memory. The war remains at the heart of this small village’s daily life.
FIND OUT
Dr Thi’s Clinic
The villagers like to visit Dr Thi because they trust him. Most of his patients are over seventy years old. Though time has past, war sequels remain vivid. “Talking helps to relieve the pain” says Doctor Thi. The camera never leaves the precincts of the clinic where patients are filmed like the characters of an ancient theater play.
FIND OUT
Long is the road
A portrait of a young student who proves to be a good contractor. He sets up his own small business and dreams of becoming a millionaire. An observation of the aspirations and the metamorphoses of the youth of today.
FIND OUT
