Child of Dust
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Weronika Mliczewska
- Chi-Minh De Leo
- Bao Nguyen
| Child of Dust | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Polish | Dziecko z Pyłu |
| Directed by | Weronika Mliczewska |
| Screenplay by | Weronika Mliczewska |
| Produced by |
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| Cinematography | Mikael Lypinski |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Joaquin Garcia |
Production company | Ya Man Studio |
Release date |
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Running time | 1 hr. 33 min. |
| Countries | Poland, Vietnam, Sweden, Czech Republic, Qatar |
| Languages | English, Vietnamese |
Child of Dust (Polish: Dziecko z Pyłu) is a documentary film written and directed by Weronika Mliczewska. The film follows Sang Thanh Ngô, an Amerasian man born during the Vietnam War, as he searches for his American father. It is a Poland-Vietnam-Sweden-Czech Republic-Qatar co-production, produced by Mliczewska, Chi-Minh De Leo and Bao Nguyen.
The film was acquired by Berlin-based Rise and Shine World Sales ahead of its Thessaloniki Documentary Festival Premiere,[1] where it received a Special Mention from the documentary competition jury.[2] It won Best International Documentary, Best National Documentary and Best Editing at the 65th Krakow Film Festival in May 2025.[3]
Fifty years after the end of the Vietnam War, Sang, the abandoned child of an American soldier, reunites with his father in the U.S., risking his family life in pursuit of healing—but nothing goes as expected.
Development
Mliczewska conceived the idea for the documentary when she was making a short documentary on Esports in Vietnam. There, she learned about DNA testing initiatives helping Amerasian children find their American fathers. She and Vietnamese producer Chi-Minh De Leo spent eight years making Child of Dust. Bao Nguyen later joined the project as a Producer to help bring the film to Vietnamese-American audiences and facilitate its North American outreach.[4]
Production
Child of Dust was supported by several institutions, including the Polish Film Institute, Telewizja Polska, Al Jazeera Documentary, the Czech Audiovisual Fund, the Swedish Film Institute, the Ministry of Culture within the National Recovery Plan, Creative Vouchers Initiative and the European Union’s Next Generation E.U. initiative.
Production was supervised by Mliczewska for Ya Man Studio (Poland), with co-productions by de Leo for Clubhouse Films (Vietnam), Antonio Russo Merenda for Ginestra Film (Sweden),Michal Sikora for Lonely Production (Czech Republic), and Andrzej Łucjanek for FixaFilm. Additional co-producer credit include to Magda Cichecka, while associate producers are Jim Stark, Brian Hjort, Paweł Ziemilski, and Mateusz Wajda.[5][6]
My background in anthropology allowed me to approach Child of Dust with deep cultural sensitivity, ensuring Sang’s story was told with authenticity and respect. It helped me observe without imposing, allowing moments to unfold naturally rather than shaping them to fit a preconceived narrative.
Mliczewska, who was pregnant during the shoot, took on directing, producing, writing, and filming roles.[8]
Regarding her relationship with the protagonist, Mliczewska stated, "Sang trusted me because, for the first time, someone truly listened. He knew this film could give voice to a forgotten history. I was fortunate to have a strong Vietnamese team who helped build trust and preserve cultural authenticity."[9]
Child of Dust was shot by Mikael Lypinski and edited by Marcin Sucharski and Mateusz Romaszkan, while Joaquin Garcia composed the score.
Release
Child of Dust had its world premiere in the International Competition section at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival on 12 March 2025. Its German premiere followed on 11 May 2025 at DOK.fest München.[10] On 29 May 2025, the film had its Polish premiere at the Krakow Film Festival,[11][12] where it won three major awards: Best International Documentary, Best National Documentary, and Best Editing.[13]
The film had its USA premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival, where it was nominated for a Gold Hugo in the Best Documentary category. It won the Audience Award for Best Documentary.[14]