Yellow Balloon

In 1996, a Vietnamese-American kid named Ái Vân from San Jose, California is adopted by their paternal immigrant grandparents in Vancouver, Washington. On their journey, Ái Vân processes their identity, the unspoken rules of complex social dynamics and discovers the reality of letting go.

  • Summer Luu
    Director
  • Summer Luu
    Writer
  • Olyvia Chac-Nguyen
    Writer
  • Stephanie Duong
    Producer
  • Summer Luu
    Producer
  • Wynne Munoz
    Key Cast
    "Ái Vân"
  • Linh Duong
    Key Cast
    "Bà Nội"
  • Hue Le
    Key Cast
    "Ông Nội"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Bóng Vàng
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Family, Coming Of Age
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 42 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 31, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    40,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English, Vietnamese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital and 16mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Summer Luu

Summer Luu (she/they) is a Vietnamese-American film director, producer, cinematographer and editor based in Portland, Oregon. Their work has a candid, verité style of approach. Drawing creative inertia from personal experiences, their passion is to connect and collaborate with individuals on a liberated and unbound artistic level. Seeking to bring joy, equality and authenticity to all. Inspired by the truth and obsessed with documenting real life and the human condition.

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Director Statement

This is a love letter to my grandparents for showing me, early on, the complexities and layers of love. The story came to me when my father passed away from colon cancer in January 2020 and I was visiting my grandmother more often. The recollection of memories of my family mixed with grief and trauma paved way to take a deeper look into the processing of trauma. Listening to stories from my grandmother helped define the theme and story. From the beginning of this project, I wanted to create this with an all Asian-American film crew, and hopefully, a majority Vietnamese-American, because language and culture is so important to this film. ‘Yellow Balloon’ advocates for original storytelling, inclusivity within creative collaborations, and highlighting voices from underrepresented communities. I’m excited to share this story with the help of an incredibly talented creative team, crew, and cast.