Les attendants

In mining, a slag heap refers to an artificially raised hill consisting of the cleared waste that accumulates during the extraction of raw materials. Birch trees now grow where workers from near and far once went underground to labour hard for very little money. Nowadays, this is a place where men meet to have anonymous sex and share moments of intimacy. “I think he was gay too,” says one of these men about his father who was a miner. Today, as in the past, those who cannot find shelter elsewhere live here. Home is far away, returning is impossible. Human beings need more than water and a tent

Director Biography

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.

Alternative title

The Men Who Wait

Director

Quý Truong Minh

Premiere

Dutch

Country

France, Singapore

Language

French, Bambara, Italian

Subtitles

English

Year

2021

Duration

15 min.

The Geography Within Me

Thursday, 2 September 22:05 - 23:43 / Kijkhuis 1
98 min.
Sunday, 5 September 12:10 - 13:33 / Kijkhuis 2
83 min.

Also in this session

1. Words Words Words are Decorative Sounds
Giovanni Giaretta, 8
2. Heaven Reaches Down to Earth
Tebogo Malebogo, 10 min.
3. I Am Afraid to Forget Your Face
Sameh Alaa, 15 min.
4. Las fauces
Mauricio Maldonado, 16 min.
5. Les attendants
Quý Truong Minh, 15 min.
6. The End of Suffering (a Proposal)
Jacqueline Lentzou, 14 min.
Tickets