In a simple multi-purpose court within a Chinese community church in South Sacramento, an intimate film premiere was held on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 18.
The community gathered to see “Sleeping On Water,” a Sacramento-based indie film by Nhu Than. This project marked her first time in the director role. Before this debut, Than has worked with Visual Narrative Films in the Bay Area and graduated from Sacramento State, with a bachelor’s degree in child development and minors in film and history.
Multiple shots of the city of Sacramento were featured on the big screen, creating a sense of instant familiarity. Shots included places like 65th Street, which is a hub of the Vietnamese and Asian community, and the Vietnamese Martyrs Parish in South Sacramento. The quietness in the film, caused by the lack of communication among generations, brought tears to many viewers.
With an all-female talent crew, the film featured actresses Cindy Dinh, Huyen Thanh Nguyen and Van Anh Le. The film is about three women unraveling the complexity of natural disaster, a sense of belonging and religious belief. The imposing threat that South Vietnam will be submerged in water by 2050 is the starting point for the film’s plot.
Than was born and raised in Vietnam before moving to the U.S. at a young age. The film’s initial idea sparked from Than’s individual doubt that she wasn’t enough, because of her disconnect with family.
Than said at the time she was always worried, and wasn’t content with how things were, constantly seeking recognition online. It took her time to realize that those thoughts stem from the instability within her own family, the internal mother-daughter conflict and the external instability of the environment. Than wants to raise awareness of all those issues.
Cindy Dinh answering a question during the Q&A panel Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. She played adult Mai, the main character in the film. (Minh Anh Tang)
Elijah Joseph, a Filipino attendee at the premiere, said the movie is initially about Vietnamese immigrants, but it did a great job building up the emotion so non-Vietnamese individuals can also relate to the subject. Joseph was touched by the film, seeing himself, as a Filipino American, represented in the movie.
“The director doesn’t realize the message is going deeper than she intended. It touches more than the Vietnamese community. It touched me very deeply,” Joseph said. “Different languages, different cultures, but the way they portrayed it was spot on.”
The resilience from the film spoke well to Cam Truong, another attendee at the event. Like Than, Truong was born in Vietnam, forming an immediate connection and relatability to the film in Truong’s own experience.
“It’s very refreshing. It’s unusual to hear Vietnamese language movies in America,” Truong said. “I like how the film intertwines faith and healing, but also reminds us to look at the reality of climate change that is affecting our home.”
The film brings to light the reality of carelessness towards the environment. This neglect is not just a fictional, dystopian matter, and that was proven during the film’s promotion process.
Than said when she was putting up the film’s posters in South Sacramento, people got curious and asked her what the story was about. She explained the environmental aspect, and a person laughed, saying the flooding was nothing to worry about.
“He said, ‘Oh, Vietnam, it’s always been that way, you know. When it’s flooding, you just swim!’” Than said.
She said that’s easy to say, but people can’t just live in the water. So, she hoped to educate people about the reality of rising sea levels in Vietnam and all over the world.
An attendee shares her thoughts on the film during the Q&A panel on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. Lots of questions were asked regarding the Vietnamese traditions that were used as metaphors throughout the film. (Minh Anh Tang)
From the raw idea, to the screening, it took the crew more than two years.
Marlonino Banut, the film’s director of photography, said that this was his first time working with Than. He said for a first-time director, she did a good job, as she’s able to balance all of the roles from many different people in the crew so things can run smoothly.
Vi Than, the executive producer, Nhu Than’s sister, said most of the crew on set was amateur, which created chaos, but a fun first-time experience.
“Sleeping On Water” features Vietnamese American characters bringing a personal connection to the large Vietnamese community that’s now settled in Sacramento.
The film highlights cultural differences between parents and children within the same household of immigrant families, a chronic generational problem that haunts a whole community, along with the fictional, but based on fact, environmental issue.
The film intends to enter film festivals in the future, the Instagram of “Sleeping On Water” has further details on the next time it will be on the big screen.