Synopsis

Kit (Henry Golding), a young British Vietnamese man, returns to his birth country for the first time in over 30 years. He was just eight years old when he and his family escaped Saigon as ‘boat refugees’ during the Vietnam-American war. No longer familiar with this country and unable to speak his native language, Kit embarks on a personal journey from Saigon to Hanoi, in search of a place to scatter his parents’ ashes. Along the way he meets his estranged family and falls for Lewis, an American whose father had fought in the war. During his travels, Kit finally starts to connect to the memories of his parents and his own roots.

Director Hong Khaou

Writer HONG KHAOU

Cast HENRY GOLDING

Producers TRACY O’RIORDAN (Dark River, The Selfish Giant)

Production Credits MOONSPUN FILMS / BBC / BFI / SHARPHOUSE

Hong Khaou

Named one of Screen Daily's Stars of Tomorrow for 2013, writer-director Hong Khaou spent seven years at independent film distribution company Peccadillo Pictures, where he managed the Home Entertainment department and was part of the acquisitions team. Making the move into filmmaking, Hong wrote and directed two short films, Spring (2011) and Summer (2006), which were selected for the Sundance and Berlin international film festivals respectively. His debut feature film, Lilting, starred Ben Whishaw and Cheng Pei Pei was produced under Film London’s Microwave Scheme, had its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in the World Dramatic Competition and was sold in over 12 territories internationally. In 2014, Hong was named as one of BAFTA LA's Brits to Watch, along with garnering a Best Debut Director nomination at the British Independent Film Awards. In 2015, Hong was also BAFTA-nominated for Outstanding Debut by A British Writer, Director or Producer.

Festival Section Year Location
Karlovy VaryInternational Competition2019Czech Republic