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
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Grave diggers for hire
"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.
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