NONFUTURE

I am proud to announce NONFUTURE— the newest film by Cindy Nguyen (all edited and cut by Cindy in Final Cut Pro — I was just the camera-man). A truly beautiful piece of art-work we produced through the pain and struggle of COVID-19. If this rings a bell with you, please share with a family member, friend, or loved one.

Hugs,
Eric and Cindy

NONFUTURE: Meditations on Time” by Cindy Nguyen

See on YouTube >


NONFUTURE: Meditations on Time

Download full-resolution MP4 video film here.


Animated GIF’s from NONFUTURE:

Stills from NONFUTURE:


Cindy’s personal notes for NONFUTURE:

pick cover photo

Cindy: It’s been hard. My mind, heart, and body have been on overdrive. I made a film to make sense of it all. If this strikes a chord with you, please share.

I hope that this film

  1. brings moments of lightness in a very dark and difficult situation
  2. inspires creative experimentation to make meaning of our changing realities
  3. reminds us that we’re all connected in our collective struggle
  4. sparks playful movement, gratitude, and laughter
  5. moves us to be resilient, brave, and kind to each other

Film directed, written, produced, and edited by Cindy Nguyen
Photography and Cinematography by Eric Kim (Thank you for being my creative partner and patient confidant during this time).

Watch NONFUTURE on YouTube here >

  • pick cover photo

Music in Order of Feature:

  • Audbiobinger – “Stress,” “State of Mind”
  • The Passion HiFI – “Keep Fallin”
  • Yung Kartz – “Hallucinations”
  • Evil Needle – “Jazzy Piano”
  • Tupac – “Changes”
  • Charizma Peanut Butter Wolf – “Methods”

See all of Cindy’s films here.


Other films by Cindy:

“The Undeniable Force of Khó Khăn” Film

A film on the bittersweet nature of love, language, and memory.

Directed, Produced, Edited, Words by Cindy Nguyen from the original essay
Cinematography by Eric Kim

Read Cindy Nguyen’s Open Letter Response >

Latest News and Press:

Film Premiere and Artist Talkback at Viet Film Fest at AMC 30 in Orange, California (October 2019) >

Artist Talk on Translation and Film at Harvard University (February 2020) >

Viet Film Fest Premier 100 day grandfather69
Viet Film Fest Premier 100 day grandfather63

Director’s Statement

The Undeniable Force of Khó Khăn” film is part of “Mẹ [Mom], Translated ,” a project on intergenerational language and love.

For this piece, I seek to dwell on the act of translation– that universal human yearning to understand and be understood. I do not always translate Vietnamese words in the piece to English because I hope to convey the moments of comprehension/miscomprehension between different languages and generational divides. We do not just translate words. We translate moments and grasp for meaning. We translate across time and glance backwards through the bittersweet filters of nostalgia and loss.

I invite the viewer to experience the delicate moments of misreading and translation — imbue subtle gestures and tones with layers of interpretation. The symbolic actions and conversation between a mother and daughter reveal the secret language of refugee and immigrant survival: hy sinh (sacrifice), khó khăn (suffering), perseverance (chịu khó), and success (thành công). Wander between poetic voice, slip away into memory; pause and grasp for that undeniable force.

Please share this project with anyone who

  • has felt misunderstood
  • dances freely or uneasily between categories and languages
  • has used google translate with their parents and family
  • has been told “you are not really  ____”
  • does not know where or who ‘home’ is
  • wanders and wonders why

Artists, bilinguists, academics, Asian Americans, Vietnamese, everyone…I would really appreciate your feedback on this piece and the project. Please share your thoughts, feelings, feedback with me at misreadingart@gmail.com

Follow the project “Mẹ, Translated” and film/soundscapes on Youtube


Follow Cindy:

Academic Website: cindyanguyen.com