Vietnamese sci-fi to premiere at Sundance Film Festival

Producer BHD confirmed it is one of two movies about children shown at the festival, from Jan. 20 – 30, 2022.

The film festival will feature 82 movies from 28 countries and territories. Vietnam and the Philippines are the only two Southeast Asia countries to have their movies selected.

Director Ham Tran was emotional when he heard the news. More than three years ago, after his mother passed away, he was invited by the production unit to make the film about a boy grieving the loss of his mother.

Poster of ‘Maika’. Photo courtesy of BHD

“I immediately felt a connection with the character, knowing I must make this film. After receiving the news that the film would premiere at an international festival, I thought to myself: ‘Mom, I want to dedicate this movie to you’.”

“Maika” is about an eight-year-old boy meeting an alien girl from the planet Maika, searching for her lost friend. As the boy helps her otherworldly friend search, the alien inadvertently helps him make new friends and heal a broken heart.

The film is inspired by the Slovak film ‘Spadla z oblakov’ (She Fell from Clouds), a typical sci-fi TV series for children shown in Europe during 1978.

Sundance complimented Tran’s work for its beautiful setting, fast-paced storytelling, and charismatic acting, which at the same time allows fun adventures while addressing the universal themes of friendship, family, and compassion.

Tran, born in 1974, is an American Vietnamese. He premiered his first feature “Journey from the Fall” at 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

Sundance Film Festival is an annual event organized by Sundance Institute in Park City, Utah, the U.S. each January.

It is a prestigious playground that attracts talented independent filmmakers from both the U.S. and countries across the globe.