Cam Ne Mat short film showcases Da Nang’s timeless craft

From the loom to the screen

For generations, the rhythmic sounds of weaving have been part of life in Cam Ne Mat Village in Da Nang. Now, a group of young filmmaker is helping preserve that cultural memory in a different way: through cinema.

“The Weave of Cam Ne Mats” is the debut film of “Am Sac Am”, a six-member student filmmaking team studying Multimedia Communications at FPT University’s Da Nang campus.

Running for more than 10 minutes, the film uses the traditional craft village as the setting for a story about family, hardship, cultural heritage and the role of younger generations in keeping traditions alive.

The story follows Minh, a communications student filming a project about local culture, and Mr. Lanh, an artisan quietly preserving the traditional craft at his weaving loom.

Behind the familiar image of a traditional craft village is a family struggling with hardship. Lanh’s daughter Khanh falls seriously ill, leaving the family burdened by medical expenses and debt.

Her brother Cay, overwhelmed by financial pressure, makes a wrong decision and leaves home. His perspective begins to change after he watches Minh’s footage of his father. Seeing the quiet dedication of the elderly artisan prompts Cay to return home.

The film ends on a note of renewed hope, connecting the family’s journey with the enduring legacy of the traditional craft.

Cao My Han, representing the “Am Sac Am” team, said the group wanted to tell the story of a traditional Da Nang craft village through the eyes of young people and bring local cultural values closer to the community.

The project began as an assignment for the students’ Video Production course. Encouraged by lecturer Le Trong Nghia to enter the Vietnamese 2026 short film competition, the FPT students developed their class project into a full-fledged short film.

Before filming, the team spent time learning about Cam Ne, meeting local artisans and observing the actual mat-weaving process. They then built the characters and dialogue around the straightforward, down-to-earth character of Central Vietnamese people.

The role of artisan Lanh was played by Nguyen Ba, a local resident of Cam Ne, adding an authentic connection between the film and the community where the story unfolds.

Keep the time-honoured tradition alive

Producing their first independent short film was far from easy. The students had to cope with changing weather, practical filming constraints, performances and limited time for renting locations.
Some planned scenes had to be abandoned or substantially changed before the final edit.

Support from lecturers, experienced professionals, actors, freelancers and, importantly, local residents helped the young team complete the film.

For “Am Sac Am”, making the Top 20 was meaningful, but the greater achievement was giving Cam Ne another way to reach audiences. “We realised that traditional culture still has many stories that can be told through the language and perspective of young people,” Han said.

That perspective gives Cam Ne Mat Village a new cultural stage. Cam Ne’s traditional mats are not simply handmade products. They represent skills passed down through generations and a way of life closely connected to local communities.

By placing an artisan, his loom and his family at the heart of a contemporary story, the young filmmakers have transformed an everyday craft into a subject for cinematic storytelling.

The film therefore offers an example of how young people can contribute to cultural preservation by finding new ways to make traditional crafts relevant to contemporary audiences.

As Da Nang continues to develop as a destination known for its beaches, heritage sites and modern urban life, stories such as Cam Ne Mat Village add another dimension to the city’s cultural identity.

By THU LE