Surname Viet Given Name Nam

Trinh T. Minh-ha

Trinh T. Minh-ha’s second film, a lyrical meditation that challenges and redefines the perspective and politics of ethnographic cinema. Session part of the retrospective dedicated to the feminist and decolonialist scholar that accompanies the exhibition Seen Yet Unseen.

Born in Vietnam, this is a deeply personal documentary by Trinh T. Minh-ha: an exploration of the role of women in her native country, both historically and in contemporary society. Through the use of dance, images, texts, folk poetry, and the voices of various Vietnamese women, the film challenges official culture. A theoretically and formally complex work, Surname Viet Given Name Nam also reflects on the difficulty of translation and the themes of displacement and exile, critiquing both traditional society and life since war.

108 minutes

Year: 1989

Version: Original Version with Subtitles