THE SOUNDS OF CANNONS FAMILIAR LIKE SAD REFRAINS / ÐAI BÁC NGHE QUEN NHU CÂU DAO BUON
2021, dir. Tuan Andrew Nguyen
Vietnam, 10 min.
In Vietnamese and English with Vietnamese and English subtitles / Format: Digital video
Nguyen juxtaposes archival footage from the US military with recently recorded images of an unexploded ordnance (UXO) deactivation in the Vietnamese coastal province of Quang Tri. This work aims to contribute towards the healing of a land that was dispossessed by its contamination. Taking its title from a line in the late sixties song Ðai Bác Ru Ðêm, the film follows one of the unexploded ordnances and gives it a voice through an animistic transformation.
UNBURIED SOUNDS OF A TROUBLED HORIZON
2022, dir. Tuan Andrew Nguyen
Vietnam, 60 min.
In Vietnamese with English subtitles / Format: Digital video
This film explores how material contains memory and holds potential for transformation, reincarnation, and healing. It is inspired by the people of Quang Tri, one of the most heavily bombed areas in the history of modern warfare. The film centers on a woman named Nguyet and her mother, who run a junkyard on Quang Tri’s outskirts. Nguyet is both a fully fleshed character and a narrative vehicle for Nguyen’s own physical exploration of material memory.