Private Project

The Men Who Wait

In a forest nearby highways somewhere in France, X is waiting among the trees in the silence of natural sound and light. After a while K appears in a distance. The two male bodies follow each other through the forest to find a place to settle down. They undress their clothes. In the performance of a restrained desire their bodies find the way to meet. In contact to each other those men suddenly become so vulnerable, their skin so soft, their hands so warm, their faces so childish. It seems they can burst into tears at any time. Their intimate exchange is interrupted by the appearance of Z, a young African man, who is living in a nearby temporary camp for homeless people. With the image of the two naked men occupied his mind, Z returns his makeshift tent. As soon as X and K dress up again, without knowing each other’s name, they part. Only Z remains alone in the forest. Waiting.

  • Trương Minh Quý
    Director
    The Tree House
  • Trương Minh Quý
    Writer
    The Tree House
  • François Bonenfant
    Producer
  • John Badalu
    Producer
    Everyday Is A Lullaby, Malila: The Farewell Flower
  • Xiao Dong Guo
    Producer
  • Gérard Thomas
    Key Cast
    "X"
  • Jean-François Geneste
    Key Cast
    "K"
  • Souleymane Sanogo
    Key Cast
    "Z"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Les Attendants
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 42 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    France
  • Shooting Format:
    16mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Berlin International Film Festival
    Berlin
    Germany
    World Premiere
Distribution Information
  • Le Fresnoy
Director Biography - Trương Minh Quý

Trương Minh Quý was born in Buon Ma Thuot, a small city in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Quý lives and works here and there in the vibrancy of memories and present moments, his narratives and images, lying between documentary and fiction, personal and impersonal, draw on the landscape of his homeland, childhood memories, and the historical context of Vietnam. In his films, he has experimented with combining abstract concepts-images with realistic improvisations during shooting.
He is the alumnus of 2012 Asian Film Academy (Busan International Film Festival) and 2016 Berlinale Talents (Berlin International Film Festival). His films have been selected for international film festivals and exhibitions such as Locarno, New York, Clermont-Ferrand, Oberhausen, Rotterdam, Busan, Les Rencontres Internationales Paris&Berlin. He won the main Art Prize at the 20th VideoBrasil (Sao Paulo) in 2017.
His second feature film, The Tree House, premiered in 72nd Locarno Film Festival (Filmmakers of The Present Competition, Swiss Critics Boccalino Award), where it was called as “Three of the festival's best premieres” by Mubi and “a singular entrancing ode to memory and filmmaking” by The Film Stage. The film continued to screen in 57th New York Film Festival (Projection), Viennale, Festival Des 3 Continents (Competition), Rotterdam International Film Festival (Bright Future Main Program), CPH:Dox (Artist &Auteur), Goteborg International Film Festival, and others.
Currently he takes part in Le Fresnoy - National Studio of Contemporary Arts in France where he experiments on multiple media: analog 16mm filmmaking and photography with machine learning.

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