You are invited to the wedding of Tram and Mr Soo
This gentle observational doco comes into focus in a leisurely way geared to the rhythms of rural Vietnamese life. Naturally enough, we approach our subjects through the social activities of cooking and eating, but soon the film comes to centre on Tram, a 21-year-old woman. Her parents have high hopes for her but these are dashed when Australia rejects her migration application. The remaining option is marriage, and with it, a move to Korea. The groom speaks no Vietnamese, and she starts to study Korean only a few days before the ceremony. An uncertain future awaits. Jakeb Anhvu, whose previous film Blush of Fruit, won AFF’s Documentary Competition in 2013, is one of Australia’s most intriguing documentarists. He observes Vietnamese life in what appears to be a detached fashion, but finally emerges as a confidence in his audience to think for themselves and make their own judgements on what he presents.
Jakeb Anhvu
Jakeb Anhvu is a Melbourne-based documentary filmmaker who studied at the Victorian College of the Arts. He has made a number of short documentaries, both in Vietnam and Australia. His previous documentary feature, Blush of Fruit (2012) won the AFF2012 Documentary Competition. A Hundred Years of Happiness was developed through the Asia Pacific Screen Lab mentorship.
