Saigon-born, Paris-based director Nguyen Phuong Mai has struck gold with her professional cinematic debut. Her short film, My Home will compete with nine others for an Oscar nod this year.
The 12-minute vignette that revolves around a boy named Hugo, his mother and an unexpected, feathered vistor was selected from a pool of 60 animated films, reports Zing.
Mai, who finished the film last year, told the news website that she has been studying animation and editing since she moved to France at the age of 15.
Born in Saigon in 1988, Mai attended the École Estienne Art School and then the Gobelins L'École de L'Image where she honed her animation skills. Following through on her cinematic dreams, she continued her education and La Poudrière in Bourg-lès-Valence, France, which specializes in animation and cartoon making.
Though you can get a glimpse of My Home via the trailer below, according to the young director it will be a while before the full release as the film is currently making the rounds at international film festivals.
Since 1993, Vietnam has submitted 11 films to the Oscars; the only film to receive an official nomination was Tran Anh Hung's The Scent of Green Papaya in 1994.
