Miền ký ức

Memoryland

Forum 2022

A woman whose son does not 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 are not 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 does not 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.

by Kim Quy Bui
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 Vietnam / Germany 2021 Vietnamese 99’ Colour

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

Crew

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
Producer	Xuan Truong Dang, Mai Nguyen
Production Manager	Nguyet Linh Hoang Nong

World sales

Diversion

http://diversion-th.com/ http://diversion-th.com/

Produced by

CineHanoi

Scarlet Visions

https://www.scarletvisions.com/ https://www.scarletvisions.com/

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.

Filmography

2003 Cái đệm (Mattress); 18 min. 2006 Đã qua giao thừa (Passed the New Year’s Eve); 10 min. 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); 99 min.

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2022