SCREENSHOT: Asia Film Festival - Ky Nam Inn

Ky Nam Inn, a romance set in 1980’s Saigon, explores the frustrations of desire when cast against duty, community, expectation, and authoritarianism. Khang wants to prove himself to be a skilled translator, even though he may have gotten his job translating The Little Prince from nepotism. Meanwhile, his neighbor Ky Nam caters lunches out of her kitchen while suffering from judgement because of her deceased husband’s southern associations. Though the film and its characters are unabashedly beautiful, the love story is rooted in literature and language. Their relationship grows because of—and in spite of—how languages cannot close the gaps between cultures, classes, and regions. Shot on luminous 35mm, the lyrical film explores what can and cannot be said in a world with duties, rules, and expectations. Best film: Beijing International Film Festival (2026)