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The River Knows Our Names

VIETNAM

On a drifting houseboat along the Mekong, nine-year-old Gam dreams of a birthday party she has never had. Her mother hustles on the river while her father takes a dangerous night diving job at a fish landing station.
When the celebration collapses into a quarrel, Gam finds her own cake. But that night their neighbor Tha drowns retrieving a gift for her. At dawn, a burning houseboat drifts down the river. Afterwards Gam refuses to wake, hoping to meet Tha in dreams, leaving her parents to bring joy back into her life.

Mai Huyên Chi

DIRECTOR

Mai Huyên Chi is a Vietnamese writer-director whose films explore how history, power, and silence shape the stories societies tell about themselves. Her work has been supported by Talents Tokyo, the Red Sea Development Fund, Al Jazeera, and the Prince Claus Fund. She is currently developing her debut fiction feature The River Knows Our Names.

I grew up by the sea but once nearly drowned in a blue hole. That day I learned water does not only give, it also takes. Since then I have seen in water both a cradle of life and a force that can claim it.
Years later, near the Vietnam–Cambodia border, I met children living on floating homes who had no legal papers, address, or sometimes even a name. Stateless in the eyes of the law, they were nonetheless dazzling, funny, and fiercely alive.
Gam is inspired by them. Through her I place faith in a child’s capacity for joy and love to illuminate even the darkest moments.
When I screened a short documentary for these children, they pointed at the screen and gasped: “That’s me!” I hope this film can offer that same recognition— to them and to the child I once was.

Thy Trang - Mayba Productions

PRODUCER

MAYBA PRODUCTIONS is a Vietnamese film production company dedicated to socially relevant, creatively impactful cinema and theater. We champion diversity and inclusion to challenge traditional storytelling
norms, amplify marginalized voices, and raise awareness of important social issues. Through critical thinking across research, production, and outreach, we strive to build a more equitable and inclusive ecosystem.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

  • SECOND FEATURE film
  • GENRE: Drama
  • LANGUAGES: Vietnamese, Khmer
  • COLOUR / 4K
  • SHOOTING LOCATION: Vietnam, Philippines
  • ESTIMATED BUDGET: €519,084
  • FUNDING CONFIRMED: €70,076 (cash & in-kind)
  • SEEKING PARTNERS: Coproducers
  • CURRENT STATUS: Development, financing
  • PRODUCED AND CO-PRODUCED BY: Mayba Productions - Thy Trang (Vietnam) / Daluyong Studios - Alemberg Ang (Philippines)

CANNES RENDEZ-VOUS

Director

Producer

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