Interviewee: Jenny Thach, director, Huong
Interviewer: Katy Nguyen, Programming Intern
Throughout this documentary, there is a contrast between climate and weather from slowly driving in the cold winter to running in the sand right by the ocean shore. What was your thought process behind this juxtaposition?
There were many themes throughout this documentary, and I am glad you pointed out this juxtaposition. I wanted the beach scenes to replicate how blissful my mother’s life could have been if the incident had not occurred. In contrast, the winter setting reflects the reality of the aftermath and the grief that follows tragedy, showing how life must continue regardless. Originally, I planned for the documentary to begin with a five-minute scripted short film using actors for the beach scene, leading into the documentary for acts two and three. However, I was not satisfied with the result, which led me to create a completely different, much more experimental structure.
Did you always know you wanted to make such a personal film as your first documentary?
Documentaries were never on my radar, but I knew that if I were to create one, it had to be personal since that aligns much more with my style of filmmaking.
Memory and grief are very prominent themes in this work. How have your thoughts on either or changed since making Huong?
Memory and grief are part of a powerful, lifelong process. They are truly what make us human—the connection and love between people that endures even after they are gone. Making Huong has made me much more empathetic and considerate toward those who have lost loved ones. It made me realize how short life can be and taught me to cherish those around me.
In the film, your mother says, “We loved through our eyes!” And we see that in the way you frame your mother in the camera, her daily life, all these places near and dear to her. What made you decide on filming with a 16:9 aspect ratio?
I chose the 16:9 aspect ratio because it fits the entire screen. I wanted the full screen to display my mother as a whole—her life, story, people, and environment.
Can you share your thoughts on what it was like to incorporate other media such as old photos, newspaper scans, and video recordings into this work? What is your relation to the archive and how has it informed your documentary process?
The archival process was difficult since the material dates back to 1997. I was fortunate to find the Boston Globe newspaper article about the incident, as well as reports on the major snowstorm that occurred the day before. During the interview process, my mother gave me detailed descriptions of everything that happened from her point of view, including the snowstorm, the news anchors, and the aftermath. All this information helped me in creating the structure of the documentary because it portrays my point of view on how I found out about everything.
The way conversations take place throughout this personal documentary is formal and organized yet natural and free-flowing all at once. In your opinion, how should one balance the tension of the two when filming a documentary?
I think depending on your subject and the density of your documentary, it will give you the answer you need on how you want to tell that story. At the end of the day, a documentary is made with facts and information, and if it’s personal, how you as a filmmaker feel about the subject.
Besides memory and grief, secrecy and guilt were also ruminated upon throughout this short film. Why did you want to share this secret with us? Why must the unspeakable be heard or voiced out loud?
My mother has been hiding this secret for so long and so after I found out about it and told the full story, I can see the weight lift off her shoulders. She talks about her memories with Frank [Martins] and Nicholas [Martins] all the time now. When I asked my mother to create this documentary, she was so willing and encouraging and I think it’s because of how the secret was kept for so long, she was so ready to tell her story and to let it out into the world. The beautiful, blissful life she had with such a wonderful family.
Has your relationship with your mother strengthened during and since this documentary? How did she react to you wanting to make this?
My relationship with my mother is as strong as ever. It has definitely made us so much closer and in the process of making this, we were healing together. My mother never really got the chance to heal from this tragedy since she had to move on so fast, and so being able to give her the chance to heal with me was such a beautiful moment. My mother was extremely excited to see the aftermath of this documentary and after watching it, we cried together and somehow even made us closer.
Huong will be shown at two in-person screenings during Viet Film Fest 2026 at the Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, California. Huong is part of the “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” short film set on Friday, October 9 at 1 PM. It is also part of the Best Short Film Nominees set on Saturday, October 10 at 9 AM.
Huong will not be available for virtual screenings.
