Down the Stream
Not much of a glimmer of hope. No happy ending to follow. Life goes on. The river flows on. - Prize winner of Reel Health International Short Film - Official Selection for Nottingham International Microfilm Festival - 2nd Place Winner - Human Rights Category - MY HERO International Film Festival - Screened at Short & Sweet Cape Town, Future Shorts Vietnam & a few others around the globe - Published on Aeon Magazine & a few others 'round the globe (Laurels to be updated when I am more laurel-motivated) ** Updates: 12 days after this video was uploaded and shared on Facebook, we have received overwhelmingly warm responses from the public in Vietnam. As I am writing this, a great many are offering to help the kids. A few friends and myself are developing an action plan, most possibly a mobile school and creativity centre as the most immediate goal, before we launch an official project and start to accept support in kinds or manpower. There may be a happy ending to follow, after all. We'll see.) -- Long Xuyen, 2014. A 4-day trip with my good friend, Ta Nguyen Hiep, to look for The Muse. My video-editorial debut. The Internet is a wonderful school. Vietnamese title: "And The River Keeps Flowing On" Part 2 featuring (adult) people of Long Xuyen: coming in the future. -- Hành trình 3 ngày rưỡi đi tìm nàng thơ ở Long Xuyên. Tác phẩm dựng đầu tay của tôi. Phần 2 - Người (lớn) Long Xuyên sẽ ra mắt trong nay mai. Videography: Ta Nguyen Hiep (https://vimeo.com/user7656226) To contact me, please write to: chichan313@gmail.com To contact the DOP, please write to: tanguyenhiep@gmail.com To inquire about the social project for the downstream kids, please write to: project.song.oi@gmail.com
Down the Stream is Chi Mai's documentary and editorial debut!
This beautiful short film gives us a rare glimpse into the lives of Vietnamese children who live and move and have their being on the water. The staccato editing, the splash of paddles, the dreams of young girls, the stutter, the hope, the heartbreak, the wonder, the fish (both dead and alive!) - it all works together to take our breath away!
And, what's more: twelve days after this video was uploaded onto Vimeo and shared on Facebook, the filmmaker and her crew received such an overwhelmingly warm response from the people of Vietnam that they are now developing a mobile school and creativity centre for these amazing kids.
Hope springs eternal - happy almost new year!
Peace,
The SALT Team