Underplayed Gems

Summer School, 2001 (2025)

Summer School, 2001 poster
Original title
Letní škola, 2001
Directed by
Dužan Duong
Country
Czech Republic
Runtime
1h 42m
Rated
12+
Rating
6.2 of 10 from 4 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A father and son navigate their complicated relationship while working together in a Vietnamese market in the Czech Republic in 2001. The story is based on the director's own childhood experiences.

intimatepersonalreflectiveslow-burnpoignantgroundedobservationalwistful

What happens

Summer School, 2001 (Czech: Letní škola, 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 (Dužan Duong, Jan Smutný, Lukáš Kokeš) and the Innogy Award for Discovery of the Year (Dužan Duong). That same month, the film received eight nominations at the 2025 Czech Lion Awards, including Best Film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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