Another worthwhile discovery found in the 2025 Karlovy Vary Film Festival line-up – an impressive feature directorial debut from a filmmaker to watch out for now. Summer School, 2001 is the very first Viet-Czech film ever, made by Viet-Czech filmmaker Dužan Duong as his feature directorial debut after many other short films. There is a very strong, very vibrant Vietnamese immigrant community in Czechia – many families have moved into the country and built their lives and started families there. I’ve actually met a few of them as I frequent a Vietnamese restaurant in Karlovy Vary (the fantastic Nhât Båo if I may recommend it) and they were the first to tell me about this film. I’m glad I took the time to catch the premiere and now I’m happy to report that Dužan Duong is a real discovery. The film has a few flaws and I wish it were more uplifting, but his filmmaking is on point and he’s got a cinematic eye. He knows what he’s doing and how to handle all the complex characters. Summer School, 2001 is already set to be released in theaters in Czechia later this month (by legit art house distrib Aerofilms) but also deserves to reach audiences around the world. // Continue Reading ›
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