‘May nhung khong mua’ (Live in Cloud – Cuckoo Land), a Vietnamese short film, will compete alongside 11 others at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival’s Orizzonti Short Competition category this September, the festival’s organizers recently announced.

The short, directed by Vietnamese filmmakers Vu Minh Nghia and Pham Hoang Minh Thy, depicts the love story of a woman who works at a wedding dress shop and a local busker.

In just 19 minutes, ‘Live in Cloud - Cuckoo Land’ combines a series of unexpected events revolving around the two main characters which highlight the feelings of exile they experience despite living in their homeland.

“What Thy and Nghia did with ‘Live in Cloud - Cuckoo Land’ feels as if they are presenting a private film rich in spontaneous experiment — one which is rare nowadays, particularly in the current Vietnamese film environment,” said award-winning director Nguyen Hoang Diep, who helped mentor Thy and Nghia during the production of their short.

A poster of Vietnamese short film ‘May nhung khong mua’ (Live in Cloud - Cuckoo Land). Photo: CJ

‘Live in Cloud - Cuckoo Land’ was also named one of the top-five finalists at the CJ Short Film Project organized by CJ Cultural Foundation and CGV Vietnam.

The 2020 Venice International Film Festival, the 77th edition of the annual event, will take place in Venice, Italy from September 2 to 12, making it the first major film festival to be held following the novel coronavirus lockdowns.

The festival’s Orizzonti Short Competition category is open to all short films lasting a maximum of 20 minutes. Winners are selected based on their quality and originality of language and expression.

The competition is limited to a maximum of 20 films.

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