Summer School, 2001


Summer School, 2001 is a 2025 Czech drama film directed by Dužan Duong. Duong also co-wrote the film with Lukáš Kokeš and Jan Smutný, drawing inspiration from his own childhood experiences. The film tells the story of a complicated family relationship between a father and son in a Vietnamese market in the Czech Republic in 2001.
Czech Television was a co-producer of the film. It was supported by the State Audiovisual Fund, the Audiovisual Fund and the Pilsen Region, and was also financed by the Next Generation EU projects of the European Union and the National Reconstruction Plan of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
It was first shown at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and premiered in Czech cinemas on 24 July 2025.
In January 2026, the film was nominated for two Czech Film Critics' Awards, in the categories of Best Screenplay and the Innogy Award for Discovery of the Year.

Plot

Kien, a 17-year-old Vietnamese man, arrives in Cheb in 2001, where his family runs a stall at the local Vietnamese market. After ten years, he reunites with his parents and younger brother, who still live in Vietnam. The film has three narrative perspectives: the father's, the elder son's, and the younger son's.

Cast

  • The Duong Bui as Kien
  • Anh Doan Hoang as Zung, Kien's father
  • Le Quỳnh Lan Kien's mother
  • Tien Tai To Tai, Kien's brother
  • Dung Nguyen
  • Thang Xuan Ngo
  • Xuan Tiem To
  • Thi Pham Nhung