by Alex Billington
June 1, 2026
Source: YouTube
“How could this have happened to our family?” Get a first look at an official trailer for this acclaimed Czech indie film titled Summer School, 2001, a coming-of-age drama following a fractured Vietnamese family living in Czechia. This initially debuted at last year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival in Czechia as a major local premiere – I caught it there and wrote a strong review of it. It was heralded by the fest as “the long-awaited, first Czech Viet-feature” and the whole town was abuzz. It’s the feature debut of filmmaker Duzan Duong, a talented Viet-Czech director who grew up in the country, telling a story about his own community there. After 10 years in Vietnam, red-haired Kien, now 17-years-old, returns to his family’s market stall in Cheb, Czechia (see Google Maps) but instead of a warm welcome finds a distant father, tired mother, and harsh younger brother. There is plenty more revealed about everyone in the family as the story plays out during summer school, with an ensemble cast of local actors speaking both Czech & Vietnamese. Bùi Thế Dương stars as Kien, with Đoàn Hoàng Anh, Lê Quỳnh Lan, Tô Tiến Tài. The trailer features English subtitles (different color for each different language) – it’s a good intro this film and the cast of characters within it.
Here’s the first official trailer (+ poster) for Dužan Duong’s film Summer School, 2001, from YouTube:
This authentic portrayal of an immigrant community that has become an organic part of modern Czech history is created by the young filmmaker Dužan Duong, a standout, exceptionally talented representative of the first Vietnamese generation to grow up entirely in Czechia. In the film, the new millennium has just begun and 17-year-old Kien (starring Duong Bui) with his crazy red hair returns to his family and their market stall in Cheb after ten years spent in Vietnam. However, instead of the warm welcome that he had anticipated, he finds an estranged father, a careworn mother and a younger brother who doesn’t cut him any slack. Told with lightness and wit, this story about cross-generational conflict and much else besides is an affectionate and bold milestone in the debate on cultural identity. Summer School, 2001, originally known as Letní škola, 2001 in Czech, is directed by Viet-Czech filmmmaker Dužan Duong, making his first feature film after a few other shorts previously. The screenplay is written by Duzan Duong, Lukás Kokes, Jan Smutny. Produced by Lukás Kokes & Duzan Duong. This first premiered at the 2025 Karlovy Vary Film Festival last year (read our review). No US release has been set yet – stay tuned for more. Who’s interested?
