Linh Duong

Linh Duong is a Vietnamese filmmaker who’s main interest lies in the unconventional depiction of sad, angsty and naggy middle-aged women. Her series of shorts, which is a blend of her quirky sense of humour and magical realism elements, have been competing and winning awards at prestigious film festivals around the world.
Linh previously attended Berlinale Talents in 2020, Asian Film Academy in 2016, Locarno Summer Academy and Bucheon Fantastic Film School in 2015. She is developing her first feature, DON’T CRY, BUTTERFLIES, which recently won the Moulin d’Andé -CECI Award at Locarno Open Doors 2019, and was selected for Full Circle Lab 2020.

Don’t cry, Butterfly

LIM | Less is More 2021

In her forties, Tam discovers her husband’s affair and decides to cast a spell, hoping she can voodoo him back into love. Her daughter Ha, however, wants them to divorce. Tam ignores Ha’s warnings and sets the spell up in her room. This awakens the House Spirit. It first appears as an innocent dark spot on the ceiling, but gradually grows into something hideous. Meanwhile, Ha is also dealing with her own trauma and the fear of turning into her mother, but Tam isn’t aware of this. She’s too busy trying to fix the marriage even when her instinct says that it’s over. Reality finally slaps Tam in the face when her husband’s pregnant lover shows up at the door. Desperate to escape, Tam ends up being swallowed by the House Spirit, which has consumed the entire ceiling. Ha returns home to find her mother transformed into a cocoon hanging from the ceiling. She rescues Tam. They finally accept each other, and decide to let go of the thing hindering their happiness.