NARRATIVE SHORT
JUNE 21, 2021
GER | 34 minutes | 2021
Drama, LGBTQ+ short film directed by Thùy Trang Nguyễn
Starring Hồng Ngọc Lê
you can also click the film still below to watch the film
pw: jckfrt2021
Jackfruit
For Mít, a gender fluid person, a life between two worlds is nothing new. Against the expectations of grandmother Roan and mother Mai, Mít is seeing Lara. But before Mít has the courage to separate from the family, Roan is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. For Mít, a part of the familiar world threatens to break away. If Roan forgets, then memories of the distant homeland of Vietnam also fade. Mít has to search for the connection between the two identities believed to be incompatible.
Director’s Statement
Mít means Jackfruit in Vietnamese. Mít is at the center of our film about three generations of strong women and non-binary people.
The story is set in Berlin, home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities in Germany. After the Vietnam War many people fled to West-Berlin. Others immigrated as contract workers to East-Berlin. In the unified city, German-Vietnamese people thrive in social, political and economic processes. Although immigration history is over forty years old, German-Vietnamese representation is barely visible. This story is about life after migration.
What conflicts do we face now? What happens when a generation fades away?
These questions help to spotlight Míts complex identity and experiences. They are queer, they are German, they are Vietnamese, they are neither man nor woman. They are the keeper of their ancestors and the designer of their own future. For many young people, tradition and modern life can feel like painful contradictions.
JACKFRUIT takes part in the emotional healing process in an empowering way. In search of our own story and history, we can enter into a dialogue between young and old, past and present.
– Thuy Trang Nguyen
Jackfruit is one of the many great projects shared with CineAsian Films through our submissions process. If you’d like to join them, submit your film.
Credits
Director, Writer: Thùy Trang Nguyễn
Cinematographers: Katharina Hauke, Sarina Laudam
Editing and Sound design: Ebru Sara Bilen
Music Composition: Nguyễn + Transitory
Production Managers: Mỹ Trang ‘Mitti’ Nghiêm, Maurice Egen
Also starring: Dần Boldt, Mai Phương Kollath, Shari Asha Crosson, Mehmet Yılmaz
CineAsian Films 