Filmmaker Dan Sadgrove is known for making atmospheric short films about travel, culture and wildlife. In his latest, he explores the lives of street kids in Hanoi, and the support they receive from local NGO Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation.
Sadgrove, whose film The Rhino Guardian was featured as an official selection at the International Wildlife Film Festival 2017, spent a few months at Blue Dragon getting to know the staff and the kids they support.
“Whether through force or simply being put into dangerous situations,” he says, “these kids are robbed of a future and thrown down into a life of poverty, violence and slavery.”
Named Children of the Dust, which is the nickname given to street kids in Hanoi, the short features narration from Blue Dragon’s social workers, and clips of youth engagement activities such as martial arts, hip-hop dancing and football.
Much is shot in the shadowy, precarious night hours, with slow-motion footage and low lighting all adding to the film’s atmosphere and power. There’s even a touch of magic realism in there.
Have a look at the video below:
[Video via Vimeo user Dan Sadgrove]
