Sponsored by ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund ↗
Organized by Busan Film Commission ↗ & ASEAN Culture House ↗

Exhibition:

• ASEAN on Paper ↗ (Busan, KR) - Nov 21, 2023 - Feb 18, 2024

The film follows Mai, a black H’mong teenager from the mountainous Pa Co Village in Hoa Binh Province. At the local night market, he stands out for his fearless appearance and mischievous antics. Blonde haired yet clothed in simple westernized outfit, Mai embraces a fierce energy inherited from his nomadic ancestors of 5 generations before him. This central character leads us into the vast landscape that belongs to the habitat of his community, slowly unveiling his family members’ routine of endurance. Alternating between the images of labor and ritual, we are given a chance to acquire a closer look at the characters’ intimate relationship with nature suggested through a series of harmonious actions: riding motorbike, growing corn, praying, making paper and playing flute. Confronted by the inevitable force of modernization, the black H’mong’s pride is quietly but surely kept intact.