Da Nang filmmaker wins top honour at Interfilm Berlin
DNO - The short film project “Where Shall I Lay This Body” (Chừ má nằm mô), co-written by Mai Huyen Chi and Nguyen Hoang Vu, has just won the Best Script Pitch at the Berlin International Short Film Festival.
The film tells the story of a woman preparing to bury her husband when a lucrative offer for the gravesite upends her life.
As the family keeps the body preserved while seeking another burial site, she becomes caught up in the journey of finding a final resting place for the deceased amid land scarcity and finding peace for herself amid the limited time in her and her children’s lives.
The Berlin International Short Film Festival is among Europe’s leading film events, attracting around 7,000 short film submissions annually, of which about 500 films are selected to compete across categories including international, German, documentary, anti-violence and children's films.
Mai Huyen Chi is a director, screenwriter, producer, and writer from Da Nang. She holds a master’s degree in screenwriting from the London Film School (UK). She has served as editor-in-chief of MSN Vietnam and university lecturer.
Chi was recognised as one of Vietnam’s most outstanding film producers and art curators by Hanoi Grapevine’s Finest 2024. Her works often delve into the lives of marginalised individuals, exploring human vulnerability and identity in the fringes of society.
Nguyen Hoang Vu is a screenwriter, children’s author, and university lecturer, holding a master’s degree in screenwriting from Stony Brook University (New York, USA).