Summer School, 2001
Date:
January 12, 2023
Summer School, 2001
Summer School, 2001
by Dužan Duong
nutprodukce, AZN kru. | Czech Republic
nuprodukcia | Slovakia
Fiction | 1st feature
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Logline
A Czech-Vietnamese family reunites years after leaving their eldest son in Vietnam, only for old wounds and rivalries to resurface. When the younger brother is found injured, they must confront the fragile ties that have kept them apart.
Synopsis
A teenage boy returns to his family after years apart, carrying the wounds of being sent away to Vietnam as a child while his younger brother stayed in Czechia with their parents. Reuniting at their bustling Asian market means facing a father who barely knows him, a mother desperately trying to smooth over the emotional cracks, and a younger brother who isn’t exactly thrilled to share the limelight.
The father’s attempts at masculinity feel more performative than practical, the mother’s peacemaking is equal parts charming and chaotic, and the younger brother’s mischief masks his insecurity at suddenly being bumped from center stage.
One particular summer pushes them all to their limits, as things literally start to fall in the wrong direction. In a series of events as clumsy as the family dynamics, the younger brother ends up in the hospital after falling from a roof at the marketplace. What really happened? Between misunderstandings, misguided lessons in masculinity, and the unpredictability of family life, the family learns that sometimes, the only way to build something new is to let the cracks show.
Director’s Profile
Duzan Duong was born in 1991 in Hanoi. At the age of 4, he moved to the Czech Republic with his family. He studied banking and insurance at the University of Economics and for one semester he was a student of the editing department at the Film and TV School in Prague – FAMU. In 2015 he made his first short film MAT GOC, which premiered at the Jihlava IDFF. In 2017, his next short BO HAI premiered at the same festival and won the Best Director Award at FAMUFEST and the Best Short Film Award at Finale Pilsen. He also received a special mention from the jury at Prague Shorts and nominations for the Film Critics’ Prize and the Magnesia Award. He is a self-taught filmmaker with passion not only for directing but also for cinematography and overall any discipline within the filmmaking process. He is a co-founder of Czech production company AZN kru.
Company Profile
Nutprodukce is one of the leading production companies in the Czech republic with 15 Czech Lions and 7 Czech Critics’ Awards. Its position is based on a wealth of experience ranging from documentaries, high end TV series to animation works and an artistically diverse selection of arthouse cinema. Nutpro- dukce’s reputation stands for both professionalism and nonconformity, best exhibited in its works such as the miniseries Burning Bush directed by Agnieszka Holland (11 Czech Lions), Graffitiger (Student Os- car nominee), animated short Pandas (Cinéfondation 3rd Prize, Cannes, 2013), original TV series for HBO Europe Wasteland (TIFF – Primetime selection, 2016), Spoor, also directed by Holland (Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize at the 2017 Berlinale), Sergei Loznitsa’s latest film State Funeral (Venice Film Festival, 2019), Francesco Montagner’s Brotherhood (Golden Leopard at Locarno’s 2021 Concorso Cineasti del Presente), Michal Blaško’s Victim (Venice Film Festival Orizzonti Competition 2022) or Michal Blaško’s TV mini-se- ries Suspicion (Berlinale Series 2022). Characterized by its distinct artistic policy, the company constantly seeks original and innovative slate of audiovisual works from central Europe. Nutprodukce has also become known for discovering and developing long-term relationships with new directorial and screenwriting talent, having produced more than 9 film feature length film debuts.