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Passion, pride, perseverance. To create is not easy, but creating is also an act of joy. Whether it be clothes (Tailor Made), music (Kėo Kéo: Sài Gòn Sound, No More Sad Songs, Woodshed), or even film itself (Mighty Maddy’s Mission to the Future, Thời Thơ Ấu (Childhood)), the films all show the joy and community that comes with creating. Tailor Made follows Tam Nguyen, a tailor who moved from Vietnam to Canada, and has been working for forty-three years. In Woodshed and Kėo Kéo, we see the difficulties of performing music for an audience, as well as its triumphs and joys. No More Sad Songs, Mighty Maddy’s Mission to the Future, and Thời Thơ Ấu (Childhood) explore how creative expression connects families.
No More Sad Songs follows a mother and daughter as they prepare for a gig, Mighty Maddy shows us Mighty Maddy fighting off ninjas and other villains with the help of her parents, and the intimate documentary Thời Thơ Ấu shows us the filmmaker trying to connect and understand her parents better. Though there can be considerable difficulties – emotional, legal, physical – navigating the artistic process, each of these films are a triumph of personal pride, bringing in others to appreciate what they have created.
By Chenglin Lee
KẸO KÉO” is a short-documentary film capturing a glimpse of Sài Gòn street sound. Huỳnh Thanh Hậu, is an electrician turned singer from Mekong Delta who moved to Saigon to become kẹo kéo singer-a vanishing form of street performance that is substantial to the city’s nightlife. As an embodiment of the ever-changing Vietnamese urban soundscape, Hậu shares with us intimate parts of his life: his beloved DIY soundsystem-on-a-bike, the street restaurants, quirky customers and of course, his favorite songs. The film is commissioned by NTS and presented by Saigon-based collective & label Nhạc Gãy. It is directed by two of its members, Mike Pham and Anh Phi. Produced by Booncha Studio (Vietnam)
- Year2022
- Runtime6:33
- LanguageVietnamese
- CountryViet Nam
- DirectorAnh Phi Tran, Mike Pham
- ProducerAnh Phi Tran, Mike Pham, Châm Nguyen
- CastHau Thanh Huynh
Passion, pride, perseverance. To create is not easy, but creating is also an act of joy. Whether it be clothes (Tailor Made), music (Kėo Kéo: Sài Gòn Sound, No More Sad Songs, Woodshed), or even film itself (Mighty Maddy’s Mission to the Future, Thời Thơ Ấu (Childhood)), the films all show the joy and community that comes with creating. Tailor Made follows Tam Nguyen, a tailor who moved from Vietnam to Canada, and has been working for forty-three years. In Woodshed and Kėo Kéo, we see the difficulties of performing music for an audience, as well as its triumphs and joys. No More Sad Songs, Mighty Maddy’s Mission to the Future, and Thời Thơ Ấu (Childhood) explore how creative expression connects families.
No More Sad Songs follows a mother and daughter as they prepare for a gig, Mighty Maddy shows us Mighty Maddy fighting off ninjas and other villains with the help of her parents, and the intimate documentary Thời Thơ Ấu shows us the filmmaker trying to connect and understand her parents better. Though there can be considerable difficulties – emotional, legal, physical – navigating the artistic process, each of these films are a triumph of personal pride, bringing in others to appreciate what they have created.
By Chenglin Lee
KẸO KÉO” is a short-documentary film capturing a glimpse of Sài Gòn street sound. Huỳnh Thanh Hậu, is an electrician turned singer from Mekong Delta who moved to Saigon to become kẹo kéo singer-a vanishing form of street performance that is substantial to the city’s nightlife. As an embodiment of the ever-changing Vietnamese urban soundscape, Hậu shares with us intimate parts of his life: his beloved DIY soundsystem-on-a-bike, the street restaurants, quirky customers and of course, his favorite songs. The film is commissioned by NTS and presented by Saigon-based collective & label Nhạc Gãy. It is directed by two of its members, Mike Pham and Anh Phi. Produced by Booncha Studio (Vietnam)
- Year2022
- Runtime6:33
- LanguageVietnamese
- CountryViet Nam
- DirectorAnh Phi Tran, Mike Pham
- ProducerAnh Phi Tran, Mike Pham, Châm Nguyen
- CastHau Thanh Huynh