Through “Living Silk” animation, Hoàng Thị Thế’s exile unfolds – from guerrilla stronghold to Paris screens – pieced together by her descendant.
Hoàng Thị Thế, daughter of Vietnam’s legendary anti-colonial revolutionary Đề Thám, is captured by French forces and rebranded as the French president’s adopted daughter. This non-linear cinematic odyssey follows her journey from a childhood in the resistance to the glittering ballrooms of 1930s Paris. Trapped between French surveillance and the resentment of her own people, denied the right to raise her own son, Thế navigates a “staged life” as an Annamite princess and a film star. Through three converging timelines, the film explores her struggle to reclaim her identity from the shadows of history, eventually finding peace in her homeland.
Nghiêm Quỳnh Trang is a Vietnamese filmmaker working between Prague and Hanoi. She came to cinema after studying political science and sevaral years working in TV journalism. Her work is shaped by living between places and by an interest in how larger social changes leave traces in intimate lives. She often returns to stories of migration, family memory, intergenerational distance, and and the complex search for belonging.
Nguyễn Hồng Quân is Head of Directing & Cinematography at the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema, with over 15 years’ experience directing films in Vietnam and internationally. His works include The Room (Silver Kite Award), The Safe (Best Short Film, Hanoi 48HFP), and the TV documentary series S-Vietnam (VTV1). He also produces and writes; his project Chú Văn was selected for the 2023 Busan APM, and A Theoretical Film was nominated at DOCfeed.
Phượng Diễm Cao is a producer and writer/screenwriter who has authored several well-known preschool titles. She also works as a producer for the television programs broadcast on Vietnam National Broadcaster.
With her long-standing presence in the creative community, she maintains strong professional relationships with artists, cultural researchers, and experts across Vietnam. These deep connections provide a strong foundation for the development of culturally grounded projects including the documentary film currently in progress.