As part of the recent V4 Film Days festival, where the Czech Republic presented the film Summer School, 2001, we had the opportunity to ask the film’s director, Dužan Duong, a few questions about the film, his inspiration, and his work.
Since this is your first feature film, how did your approach to filmmaking and the creative process change compared to your previous experience?
I feel that with every short film I was preparing myself for this feature debut. My process gradually became more refined and improved over time. I have always worked with non-professional actors, and with Summer School, 2001 this experience finally paid off.
What led you to set the film in the year 2001?
In 2001 I was exactly ten years old, and that was the time when Vietnamese families were deciding whether their children would go to grammar school. Education was the absolute top priority for my community. That was also when I attended summer school in Cheb and prepared for the entrance exams together with other Vietnamese classmates. For me, this year is full of nostalgia, and through this film I was able to return, at least for a moment, to that time - which I might even be romanticizing a little.
The film’s protagonists belong to the first Vietnamese generation that grew up in the Czech Republic. What, in your opinion, makes the experiences of this generation unique?
Living between cultures is now a widely explored phenomenon, but at the time when the film takes place we had absolutely no idea what was happening to us. We didn’t know what our identity was or where we belonged. This search for identity and self-understanding is very typical for my generation, which was trying to find its place in society. I would dare to say that after 30 years since I first set foot in the Czech Republic, I have finally found that place.
The film was screened at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Special Screenings section. Did the festival reception influence the film’s further journey?
The Karlovy Vary festival played a key role in promoting our film. We received extensive media coverage, which is not common for debut filmmakers. Thanks to that, the film gained recognition not only at home but also internationally. In the Czech Republic alone, the film has already been seen by 40,000 viewers, and theatrical distribution is being prepared in the United States, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom.
Did you expect the Vietnamese community to react to the film in any particular way? If so, what kind of reaction were you hoping for?
To be honest, I didn’t hope for any particular reaction. I know my community - they usually don’t go to the cinema and don’t have time for anything other than work. That’s why I was even more surprised by the huge interest the film generated. However, the experience portrayed in the film doesn’t concern only Czech Vietnamese people, but also those living in Europe and the United States. I’m very happy that the film can resonate with audiences beyond the Czech Republic.
If you could follow the characters five years after the events of the film, where do you think they would be?
I would guess that Zung and Lan, who started their Vietnamese bistro, would be successful and have loyal customers enjoying Vietnamese cuisine. Tai and Kien would have found their way back to each other. Kien would be trying out his music career on SoundCloud, and the whole family would learn how to function together. Even if their relationships weren’t perfect, they would learn to respect and listen to each other.
