Saigon Kiss
Mơ roams through the rush hour traffic to avoid an unwanted phone call. When she meets Vicky by the side of the street with her broken motorbike, a visceral chance encounter unfolds between the two young queer women on the loud streets of Saigon.
Interview with Writer/Director Hồng Anh Nguyễn
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The film is also an attempt to take a snapshot of this rapidly changing modern metropolis. Buildings and people appear and disappear so fast, always filled with a lot of uncertainty but also curiosity for the future. I wanted to drop these protagonists into the chaos of Saigon and see how they would navigate this transient city on a personal level. The story of their encounter celebrates genuine and deep encounters with strangers and cherishes ephemeral places, as they might disappear soon.
Characters like Mơ and Vicky, queer modern Vietnamese women whose story is not solely defined by the struggle with their queerness, are still rare on screen. I wanted to create characters that I didn't get to see on screen when I was a teenager. The omission of these characters absolutely does not reflect the reality of the vibrant LGBTQIA+ community in Saigon, officially known as Ho Chi Minh City.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The film takes you on an intimate and exhilarating 20-minute motorbike ride through the rush hour of a modern metropolis in transition. There is a tenderness and lightness to the encounter between Mơ and Vicky that I think is sweet and hopeful. At film festivals, I often refer to our film as the needed palate-cleanser within a block.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Growing up in Germany, I felt there were no places where I could be Vietnamese and queer at the same time. When I was in LGBTQIA+ spaces, they were mostly dominated by white people, and when I spent time within the Vietnamese community, I had to hide my queerness.
When I came to Saigon and got to be part of the LGBTQAI+ scene, it was really empowering because I was finally able to embrace my culture and queerness at the same time in the same place. However, since the city is constantly changing, safe spaces for the community appear and disappear very fast. This means that those safe spaces for our community actually become very volatile. The encounter between Mơ and Vicky reflects this. Both are in a very uncertain space in their lives, and they find solace in this encounter. However, it's not going to last long, so what do you do when a safe space disappears again? How do we, as queer people, find solidity in a place that is so ephemeral?
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The biggest challenge for me has always been writing a believable meet-cute. I've tried many different versions of their first encounter and ultimately, because I didn't grow up in Vietnam, I have gaps in my understanding of the culture and the nuances in social settings. However, over the years spent in Saigon, I got to know the city and the people more. My Vietnamese has improved tremendously, and coming up with a meet-cute that was true to an experience in Saigon became easier.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We've received so much positive feedback since our premiere, and a lot of people have said that they really loved the chemistry between the two actors and the refreshing, natural dialogue. People also really liked the very intimate cinematography and are always curious about how we shot the driving scenes. Additionally, many people want to know more about the backstory of the characters and see a feature film.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I think the feedback that was most touching was when after the world premiere, my mum said to me that she got goosebumps because she hadn't seen her mother country on the big screen for so many decades. To be able to sit with my family in the cinema and hear my parents laugh together at dialogue that is in their language while everyone else had to read subtitles was very special.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I think stories about queer women are still quite rare, and whenever I come across films that have queer Asian female characters, I feel like I found a precious needle in a haystack. So, I just hope that this film and the little context that people can find here reach the audience that is also looking for these stories.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We're just at the beginning of our film festival circuit and are hoping to show the film at many more international film festivals to reach a wide audience. I'm also always open to interviews with journalists to talk in more detail about the film and my work.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope that people can connect to the tenderness and sweetness between Mơ and Vicky and relate to the protagonists.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Should I stay or should I go?
Both characters are at a crossroads in their lives. Mơ doesn't know if she should stay in her relationship, and Vicky doesn't know whether she should stay in Saigon or not. I think making decisions like these can feel scary, and sometimes the moments that help us are seemingly trivial encounters.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Writer/director Hồng Anh Nguyễn is currently in early development for her debut feature and a series.
Actress Nguyễn Vũ Trúc Như (aka. Katt) predominantly works as a stunt coordinator and is working on another feature film as well as a web series.
Thương Lê is a dancer, and you can currently see her on stage at Life Puppets in Nha Trang.
Producer Nguyễn Thị Xuân Trang is working on an experimental documentary and a feature film, and Andrew Undi Lee is in development for his next series.
Interview: March 2024
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Saigon Kiss
Mơ roams through the rush hour traffic to avoid an unwanted phone call. When she meets Vicky by the side of the street with her broken motorbike, a visceral chance encounter unfolds between the two young queer women on the loud streets of Saigon.
Length: 22:00
Director: Hồng Anh Nguyễn
Producer: Nguyễn Thị Xuân Trang; Andrew Undi Lee
Writer: Hồng Anh Nguyễn
About the writer, director and producer:
HỒNG ANH NGUYỄN is a queer German-Vietnamese writer, director, and editor currently based in Frankfurt am Main and Ho Chi Minh City. Her work focuses on exploring the tension, tenderness, and intimacy inherent in encounters between people, often strangers. She is a fellow of the Kyoto Filmmakers Lab and a recipient of the STEP writers' stipend.
NGUYỄN THỊ XUÂN TRANG is an independent producer, most known for co-producing the experimental documentary Tree House (Vietnam, France, Singapore, China), showcased at the 2019 Locarno Film Festival. Trang's achievements include participation in prestigious programs such as the Kyoto Filmmakers Lab, Bucheon Fantastic Film School, and Open Door Film Labs, where she received the FAI scholarship for production career development.
ANDREW UNDI LEE is a queer, Australian-born Korean director, writer and producer. He is a recipient of the AFTRS Kenneth B Myer Award for Exceptional Talent and the Young Australian Korean Filmmaker Award from the Korean Consulate of Australia. His Film and TV writing credits include Melon Grab (Screen Australia’s Hot Shots), Troppo (ABC, AMAZON FZ), Born To Spy (ABC, BBC UK) and the Korean Australian horror series, Night Bloomers (SBS) - a show he created and produced that premiered at SXSW Sydney.
Key cast: Nguyễn Vũ Trúc Như (Mơ), Thương Lê (Vicky)
Looking for: journalists, buyers
Facebook: Saigon Kiss
Instagram: @saigonkiss.film
Hashtags used: #saigonkissfilm #queercinema
Other: IMDb
Funders: Goethe Institut Ho Chi Minh City, Asia-Europe Foundation
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
15 + 17 March 2024: BFI Flare London