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<\/a>, and the Vietnamese Martyrs Parish <\/a>in South Sacramento. The quietness in the film, caused by the lack of communication among generations, brought tears to many viewers.<\/p>\n With an all-female talent crew, the film featured actresses Cindy Dinh<\/a>, 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<\/a> is the starting point for the film\u2019s plot.<\/p>\n Than was born and raised in Vietnam before moving to the U.S. at a young age. The film\u2019s initial idea sparked from Than\u2019s individual doubt that she wasn\u2019t enough, because of her disconnect with family.<\/p>\n Than said at the time she was always worried, and wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe director doesn\u2019t realize the message is going deeper than she intended. It touches more than the Vietnamese community. It touched me very deeply,\u201d Joseph said. \u201cDifferent languages, different cultures, but the way they portrayed it was spot on.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s own experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very refreshing. It\u2019s unusual to hear Vietnamese language movies in America,\u201d Truong said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s promotion process.<\/p>\n Than said when she was putting up the film\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said, \u2018Oh, Vietnam, it\u2019s always been that way, you know. When it\u2019s flooding, you just swim!\u2019\u201d Than said.<\/p>\n She said that\u2019s easy to say, but people can\u2019t just live in the water. So, she hoped to educate people about the reality of rising sea levels<\/a> in Vietnam and all over the world.<\/p>\n From the raw idea, to the screening, it took the crew more than two years.<\/p>\n Marlonino Banut, the film\u2019s 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\u2019s able to balance all of the roles from many different people in the crew so things can run smoothly.<\/p>\n Vi Than, the executive producer, Nhu Than\u2019s sister, said most of the crew on set was amateur, which created chaos, but a fun first-time experience.<\/p>\n \u201cSleeping On Water\u201d features Vietnamese American characters bringing a personal connection to the large Vietnamese community<\/a> that\u2019s now settled in Sacramento.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The film intends to enter film festivals in the future, the Instagram<\/a> of \u201cSleeping On Water\u201d has further details on the next time it will be on the big screen.<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/EMBED1-1-1-600x396.jpg\")
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<\/a>)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/embed2-2-600x401.jpg\")
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<\/a>)<\/p>\n