Malá

As a youngster Rong left her native Vietnam, together with her parents, for Czechoslovakia, where she grows up in a prefabricated tower block. The constant racial prejudice of the adults around her, as well as the discriminatory teasing of her peers, take their toll however. Initially unable to understand why her parents tolerate such abuse, she learns over time to live with her doubts and inner anxieties. Life abroad becomes the norm, whilst over time she loses touch with her once native Vietnamese culture. When her father resolves to return home, Rong has a difficult decision to make.

In what is in fact a highly autobiographical animated film, Diana Cam Van Nguyen gives an affectionate account of what it means to come of age in a foreign country and juggle allegiance to two cultures. The film was produced at the FAMU Film and TV School in Prague. WMH