Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Nguyen.
Hi Erica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I decidely entered documentary field work after college by traveling with a Peruvian collective called DOCUPERU. As a small group of filmmakers, photographers, muralists, sculptors and others, we went from one fishing village to the next offering free audiovisual workshops. At the end of each week we would present the work back to the community- short films, photographic essays, town murals and zines all made by the participants. With this understanding of how to engage protagonists as collaborators, I set out to make my first feature documentary “Shadow Weavers/ Tejiendo Sombras.” The story was about witnessing the collective process of transforming raw materials (straw & wool) into hats, which then spoke of that particular pueblo’s identity and the challenges of preserving their way of life amidst extractive mining. Me and my intimate crew of 2-3 other women traversed 15 different communities across the Peruvian Andes, going as far north as the high jungle of Rioja and as far south as Moquegua. I completed the film 5 years later, during the first winter of the pandemic, when I decided it was time to face the story I’ve always needed to tell- “Phantom Roots.” My family’s road memoir about the Vietnamese diaspora, and how cultivating joy is the true anchor of resilience. I’m now 5 years in, with still so many questions but far more answers about how refugeehood is carried, passed down and alchemized.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The path has been anything but linear. Doing this puzzle work became more aligned when I lifted the veil of my true intentions. Storytelling in Peru revealed how generations on the threshold of modern adaptation are pressured to strip off their indigenous heritage. But what about those who come after? How do they know themselves fully if the past has been erased? Sitting with their testimonies, I eventually understood that I would have to backtrack the decisions that led to my own disconnected sense of self within the Vietnamese diaspora. Educating myself about the conditions surrounding the Vietnam-American War was the first step, and it was heartbreaking from every angle. That is also what created an opening for healing. I picked up Vietnamese language lessons for the first time since I was a kid (both a humbling and rewarding experience). I spent time connecting with my father, who can see me for who I am. I visited my ancestor’s graves in Vietnam, and was embraced without hesitation. I am using filmmaking as tool for growth and practice of compassion.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I do a wide variety of things professionally, but when I put my filmmaker hat on, I: direct, write grants, hold the camera, organize events and edit. Besides a music video or two (check out Carolina Mama’s “Honrar La Voz” on Sony’s Vevo channel) I stay in the documentary lane.
The most recent pinnacle of my directorial life occurred last spring, when I returned to Vietnam with my father to orchestrate an original water puppetry performance. So many new filmmaking elements came into play, from adapting poetic source text from my grandmother’s diary for musical arrangement to commissioning puppets for narrative reenactment. Plus the technically committing use of a 16mm Bolex in a lake, “Phantom Roots” has stretched every growing edge of my being.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
We pulled off the entire water puppetry spectacle with the dedication of old school legend Luu Trong Ninh, a formidable yet beloved Vietnamese director who opened all the right doors. It was a great honor to build this relationship through action and receive mentorship with such constancy. His unconditional generosity emboldened the belief behind this project and in myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.phantomrootsvietnam.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phantom.roots.vietnam/
Image Credits
Carolina Mama
