Tunnels: Sun in the Dark
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Theatrical Screenings
Muranów
Kinoteka 4
Film description
It is 1967, as the Vietnam War nears its peak. Beneath the surface, in a ruined village near Saigon, stretches the vast network of Củ Chi tunnels, where a small Viet Cong guerrilla unit operates. When a covert intelligence unit arrives at the underground base, the soldiers are ordered to protect it at all costs. As the unit becomes the main target of an American offensive, the guerrillas – struggling with pitch-black darkness, flooding, and recurring fears – find themselves in an unequal fight. In the cramped corridors, at the epicentre of the bombings, they fight not only for their own survival. This is a story of sacrifice and the struggle to preserve human dignity in the face of the horrors of war.
Shot on location in Củ Chi using authentic military equipment left behind by American forces, the film by Bùi Thạc Chuyên (Adrift, Glorious Ashes) is one of the most accomplished works of contemporary Vietnamese historical cinema. The director rejects simplistic propaganda tropes in favour of a realistic portrait of individuals placed in extreme circumstances. Premiering in Vietnam to mark a major anniversary of the end of the war, Tunnels: Sun in the Dark went on to win the Audience Award at the Far East Film Festival in Udine.
text:
Lucyna Szczykutowicz
Bùi Thạc Chuyên
Born in 1968 in Hanoi, Bùi Thạc Chuyên graduated from the Hanoi University of Theatre and Film. He first gained international recognition in 2000 when his short film Night Run (Cuộc xe đêm) won the Third Prize in the Cinéfondation competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Today, he is widely regarded as one of Vietnam’s most acclaimed filmmakers. His feature Adrift had its world premiere at the 2009 Venice Film Festival, where it received the FIPRESCI Award for Best Film in the Orizzonti section. Following a hiatus, he returned with Glorious Ashes, which premiered in competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival, while his latest film, Tunnels: Sun in the Dark, earned him two awards at the Far East Film Festival in Udine.
1992 Eternal Sand (krótkie wideo)
1994 Tear Drop (wideo tv)
1998 Xẩm (dokument)
2000 Cuộc xe đêm / Night Run (short)
2001 Hands Digging Land (dokument)
2002 The Digger (dokument)
2006 Życie w strachu / Sống trong sợ hãi / Living in Fear
2009 Dryfując / Chơi vơi / Adrift
2022 Niech płonie / Tro tàn rực rỡ / Glorious Ashes
2025 Słońce w tunelu / Địa đạo: Mặt trời trong bóng tối / Tunnels: Sun in the Dark
