Children of the Mist

• The film has crossed 143 productions from various countries around the world & is in the Top 15 2023 Oscar in the category of Outstanding Documentary.
• In addition, the film also received the UN award in Switzerland and the UN Children’s Fund in Japan, the award of the Educational Film Festival in France.
• Under the hands of Ha Le Diem, the film won 34 awards at other international film festivals and became a film invited to students by Universities in the US and screened in University systems studying in France.
• KIDS IN LOVE – Premiere at BHD Star from 25.03.2023

GUARDIAN 4* Review

Children of the Mist review – shattering view of forced marriage in rural Vietnam.

Director Ha Le Diem’s film questions not just the ‘bride kidnapping’ tradition of this remote community, but also the supposed neutrality of film-makers Phuong Le

Di, the 13-year-old Hmong girl at the heart of Ha Le Diem’s shattering documentary, has a beautiful, infectious laugh that rings through the misty mountains of northern Vietnam where she lives with her family in a small village. With her big eyes and rosy cheeks, Di has an endearing mischievousness about her, but even in the games that she plays with other youngsters, the shadow of an archaic tradition looms large. At one point, Di and her friends pretend to act out a “bride kidnapping”, a Hmong custom that during the New Year celebration allows a boy to snatch a girl away and force her into marriage.

This practice was how her parents met, and it was also how her older sister was married at the age of 14. Most of the housework and farming labour are performed by the women – even Di has to carry wood logs much bigger than herself – while the patriarch spends most of his day drinking. Still, Di is not defined by her restrictive social environment; her bubbly personality instead dominates the screen. From her desire to complete her studies to her crushes on other boys, Di is determined to make her future her own.