back

Cu Li Không Bao Giờ Khóc

Cu Li Never Cries
Panorama 2024
© Cadence Studio
Having picked up the ashes of her long-estranged husband in Germany, a woman returns to her Vietnamese home. In her luggage she is carrying a pygmy slow loris, a species of primate from the Vietnamese rainforest, which she has inherited from the deceased. The woman’s young niece, who lives with her, is preparing for her wedding. The young couple anxiously ponders their uncertain future together. The present in which the characters live and the complex echoes of Vietnamese history intertwine in a contemplative and poetic way.
by Phạm Ngọc Lân
with Minh Châu, Hà Phương, Xuân An, Hoàng Hà, Cao Sang, Tâm Anh Vietnam / Singapore / France / Philippines / Norway 2024 Vietnamese 92’ Black/White World premiere | Debut film

With

  • Minh Châu (Mrs. Nguyện (Auntie))
  • Hà Phương (Vân)
  • Xuân An (Quang)
  • Hoàng Hà (Waiter)
  • Cao Sang (Quang’s best friend)
  • Tâm Anh (Tâm Anh)

Crew

Director Phạm Ngọc Lân
Screenplay Phạm Ngọc Lân, Nghiêm Quỳnh Trang
Cinematography Vũ Hoàng Triều, Nguyễn Vinh Phúc, Nguyễn Phan Linh Đan
Editing Julie Béziau
Music Trần Kim Ngọc
Producers Nghiêm Quỳnh Trang, Trần Thị Bích Ngọc
Co-Producers Su Ching Teh, Weijie Lai, Claire Lajoumard, Bradley Liew, Bianca Balbuena, Verona Meier
Co-Production Purple Tree Content Singapur
E&W Films Singapur
Acrobates Films Paris
Epicmedia Productions Inc Manila
Ape & Bjørn / Storm Films Oslo

World sales

Square Eyes

http://www.squareeyesfilm.com http://www.squareeyesfilm.com

Produced by

Cadence Studio

An Nam Productions

Photos

Phạm Ngọc Lân

Born and raised in Hanoi, Vietnam. After studying urban planning at Hanoi Architectural University, he taught himself filmmaking. His short films have already been presented twice at the Berlinale with Another City in 2016 and Blessed Land in 2019. Cu Li Không Bao Giờ Khóc is his debut feature film.

Filmography

2011 Chuyện Mọi Nhà (The Story of Ones); short film 2016 Thành Phố Khác (Another City); short film 2019 Một Khu Đất Tốt (Blessed Land); short film 2020 Giòng Sông Không Nhìn Thấy (The Unseen River); short film 2024 Cu Li Không Bao Giờ Khóc (Cu Li Never Cries)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2024