19 May, 2025
A Poolside Chat with Grand Prize Winner (2023) Director Nguyễn Việt Anh | CinemaSHORT X Spring Auteurs
CinemaWorld returns to Ho Chi Minh City two years following the celebration of our first edition of the Competition Awards Gala Night. In line with the launch of our second edition, we partnered with Vietnam-based film interest group, Spring Auteurs, for a memorable night of drinks and networking with over 80 participants.
We were joined by special guests—the production team behind our Grand Prize Winner (2023), The Cloud is Gone. Participants were also treated to a closed-door screening of the award-winning short film, followed by an insightful sharing session with the creative duo, director Nguyễn Việt Anh and his wife, producer Ngô Mai Phương.
Missed our event? No worries, we took notes.
Q: Mr. Viet Anh, what inspired you to make The Cloud is Gone? Could you share the main message that the film aims to convey?
Việt Anh: Actually, the inspiration for this film came from a very personal story. In the film, there’s a young boy who represents me in the past. I witnessed the story of my aunt and her husband. At times, that memory had urged me to make this film. It’s like I made it to honor and show it to my family – my grandparents and loved ones.The story in the film is about love and loss, rooted in my memories. My aunt passed away when I was very young, so I only have those kinds of memories, but they were enough to drive me to create this film. Ultimately, the most wonderful thing was that before I even participated in any competitions or film festivals, my family was very happy to see the film, which was drawn from the memories of a young boy. That was the inspiration.
Q: What was the biggest challenge your team faced? If you could do it again, is there anything in the filmmaking process that you would want to do differently?
Mai Phương: The film was shot in many different locations, both in Hanoi and Saigon, and even at Dau Tieng Lake. Because we moved around so much, we had to plan very carefully to optimize production costs.
Another thing is that when you watch the film, you’ll see a scene in a karaoke bar, and in the background, there are some extras who are drunk. At that point, we had run out of money to book extras, so I asked the director to give me a role. But the director said my face wasn’t cinematic enough and wouldn’t let me! The thing is when you watch the film, you can barely see the faces of those extras, but the director still made me pay to book extras, so I’m still annoyed about that!
Việt Anh: The biggest challenge for me was probably finding the locations that I felt truly matched my family’s story. Because every filmmaker, when writing a script, has a certain vision for the setting. Within each specific setting, there are different choices to be made. For example, if I want to shoot a house scene, what kind of house will it be? What will that house contribute to my story? Will it reflect the character’s perspective?
So, when searching for indoor locations, from the main couple’s house to finding a rural setting where the husband visits his family for the last time, it was difficult to source these locations and I searched for a long time without success. This is because Vietnam is developing so quickly, and the pace of urbanisation is so fast that most of the places I remember no longer exist.
At the same time, urbanisation also plays a significant role in my aunt and uncle’s love story which took place during the period of economic reform—it’s a type of memory that fades very quickly. Even the locations in the film no longer exist, so bringing them into the film as a form of living memory that is recorded, is extremely meaningful for me and my family, as well as for an era that has passed, is passing, and will eventually pass.
Q: That’s certainly a reminder for filmmakers, isn’t it? If you want to film something, shoot it quickly before the locations become just memories, right? Could you tell us a bit about how you both came to participate in the CinemaSHORT competition in 2023? What was your experience like during the competition?
Việt Anh: Well, coming to CinemaSHORT was truly a coincidence, a stroke of fate. At that time, I was looking at various film festivals and competitions that I felt my film would be suitable for, and then I submitted it. Through Spring Auteurs, I got to know Quy and Jay from their previous short films. They encouraged me to submit my film to the competition, so I thought, why not give it a shot? When CinemaSHORT announced that my film had been selected, I was very surprised.
Q: What opportunities and meaningful relationships has the film’s victory brought you? Does it affect your filmmaking approach?
Việt Anh: I think it’s also a great feeling for our team because, as everyone knows, making short films doesn’t involve a lot of funding, and we all try to push ourselves beyond our capabilities and strength for the sake of the work. Everyone on the film crew feels the same way. And when the film achieves something, it’s also a recognition and a shared reward for the efforts of those behind the camera, not just the director, producer, and actors. So, this work has many warm and wonderful moments, not just hardships.
Questions from the Audience
Audience: There’s one thing I’m a bit curious about—the metaphorical image of “the cloud”. It sounds intriguing, but I’m wondering if it carries a deeper meaning? Is it perhaps a teaser for your next project? I’d love to hear more if you’re open to sharing.
Việt Anh: Thank you, Jessie, for the question. Actually, “the cloud” isn’t a teaser for our next film—it doesn’t even appear in the film itself, because… well, it’s already drifted away. (Just kidding!)
But on a more serious note, I felt the title was fitting. In the film, I wanted to hold on to that nostalgic feeling, which was why I portrayed myself as the young boy to recreate those memories from my childhood. Back then, I used to say really childish things about my aunt, and her husband would sit there deep in thought, despite my careless naivety.
As I grew older, I began to understand the meaning behind those silent, reflective moments adults have. What were they thinking about? In that sense, “the cloud” is a symbol of empathy and quiet regret—for emotions that my uncle harbored. I wanted to be there to witness it… but it never showed up.
Audience : I understand that after your short film, both of you continued to build a filmmaking career—especially since this project was made quite some time ago. I’d love to hear more about your journey after completing this film: how you grew your company and built your personal brand to align with the unique demands of the film industry.
Việt Anh: Thank you—that’s a very real and relevant question because we’re actually experiencing it (the strains on filmmakers) ourselves right now. I guess it’s simply this: we just keep going. Much like actors spending most of their time at castings, we as filmmakers spend most of our time quietly sitting somewhere, writing and nurturing our projects, waiting for the day someone notices.
We just keep going. As long as the passion is still there, we keep going—until the day we no longer can. That’s how I see it. Over time, all those small moments and experiences add up and lead us toward something bigger—a defining milestone. That’s just how it works.
Watch the full short film The Cloud Is Gone on CinemaWorld. If you’d like to enjoy our wide range of Asian short films for free, check out CinemaWorld on mewatch (available in Singapore).
The CinemaSHORT Competition 2025 is currently open for submissions till 31st July 2025. Submit your short film now.
