Miền ký ức

A woman whose son doesn’t want to carry out her burial wishes after her death. The widow of a young construction worker who brings his ashes to the village of his ancestors. A painter who loses a love only met late in life. The connections between the fates of these characters, whose stories abruptly succeed one another, only become clear over time.
At the centre of the episodically linked stories in MIỀN KÝ ỨC stands death and all the rituals that accompany the end of life. Such rituals are intended for the peace of both the dead and the living, but even they aren’t left untouched by changes in society. Skilfully composed images – a bowl of rice full of ants, an empty hammock, rotting fruit – also speak of grief and mortality, but the film also doesn’t shy away from more mundane moments, such as when the costs of a traditional burial are broken down into specifics. Change is also made perceptible through the juxtaposition of rural and urban life: on the one hand Hanoi, with its countless construction sites and constant stream of cars; on the other the almost abandoned, run-down village. The old life still exists, but only in the land of memories. (Anna Hoffmann)

Kim Quy Bui, born in 1983 in Hanoi, Vietnam. She completed a degree in screenwriting. After Nguoi truyen giong (2014), Miền ký ức is her second feature-length work as a director.

Production Xuan Truong Dang, Mai Nguyen. Production companies CineHanoi (Hanoi, Vietnam), Scarlet Visions (München, Germany). Written and directed by Kim Quy Bui. Cinematography Xuan Truong Dang. Editing Kim Quy Bui, Huy Tao Do. Music Arnaud Soulier. Sound design Arnaud Soulier. Sound Anh Tuan Le. Production design Xuan Truong Dang. Costumes Kim Quy Bui. Make-up Thu Trang Nguyen. Casting Kim Quy Bui. Assistant director Anh Tuan Le. Executive producers Mai Nguyen, Kim Quy Bui, Nicole Pham, Christian Jilka. Production manager Nguyet Linh Hoang Nong. With Mong Giao Vu, Thi Thu Trang Nguyen, Van Thai Nguyen, Thi Minh Phuong Bui, Duc Thanh Dao, Nguyet Linh Hoang Nong, Ngoc Dung Dang, Thuy Tan.

World sales Diversion

Films: 2003: Cái đệm / Mattress (18 min.). 2006: Đã qua giao thừa / Passed the New Year’s Eve (10 min.). 2007: Giấc mơ thiên thần / Angel of Dreams. 2009: Tại sao ban ngày không có mặt trăng / Why Is There No Moon During the Daytime (12 min.). 2014: Nguoi truyen giong / The Inseminator (87 min.). 2021: Miền ký ức / Memoryland.