Child of Dust
Child of Dust 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, where it received a Special Mention from the documentary competition jury. It won Best International Documentary, Best National Documentary and Best Editing at the 65th Krakow Film Festival in May 2025.
Summary
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.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, with co-productions by de Leo for Clubhouse Films, Antonio Russo Merenda for Ginestra Film,Michal Sikora for Lonely Production, 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.
Mliczewska, who was pregnant during the shoot, took on directing, producing, writing, and filming roles.
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."
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. On 29 May 2025, the film had its Polish premiere at the Krakow Film Festival, where it won three major awards: Best International Documentary, Best National Documentary, and Best Editing.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.
Reception
Child of Dust received a Special Mention at Thessaloniki International Film Festival, where the jury called it 'a beautifully shot cinéma vérité portrait' exploring the generational trauma of war and the universal desire for paternal love.It won Best International Feature Documentary at the Visioni dal Mondo Film Festival in Milan, Italy. The jury described the film as a deeply human and sensitively crafted portrait that conveys both the subject’s personal journey and the depth of her trauma, noting that the director created a powerful and emotionally resonant work that lingers beyond its conclusion.
Critical reviews
Amber Wilkinson of Screen Daily praised the film, writing, "Sombre but tenderly shot and heartfelt, Mliczewska’s quiet and intimate observational film brims with feeling." She added, "Despite the difficulties faced by Sang and his families in both countries, Mliczewska’s empathetic approach also celebrates the strength that community can offer in these situations, and the small gestures that can have big significance."Melita Zajc of Modern Times Review wrote that the film "stands out for its exceptional production quality, beginning with outstanding archival material," describing it as a sensitive and deeply human portrait of Sang Ngo Thanh's search for identity. She noted its careful observation of generational trauma and its emotionally resonant depiction of a man navigating the legacy of war across two cultures.