Memento Mori Film Project
Memento Mori
Memento Mori is a community-funded film project by director Marcus Manh Cuong Vu, developed from The Destination of Life (Điểm đến của cuộc đời), a book by author Dang Hoang Giang. PhanCa joined the project from 2018 to 2020, contributing in various roles—from organizing and managing communications for the stage play adaptation to directing the animated segments originally planned for the feature film.
According to the original script, one of the three films in the Memento Mori trilogy was to include three animated sequences, designed as poetic and metaphorical interludes to express the emotional depth of the characters. However, during the development process, the film's structure was revised and the animation segments were eventually removed from the final cut.
Nonetheless, this remains a meaningful chapter in Duong’s creative journey—an opportunity to be part of a socially-driven independent film project and to collaborate with a team of talented, dedicated, and deeply compassionate individuals.
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A demo scene from the original script
Color Keys & Concept
Color and Lightling sketches created in Pre-production phase.
Credits
Writer & General Director: Marcus Manh Cuong Vu
Animation Director/Storyboard Artist: Nguyen Thuy Duong
Character Design: Le Xuan Vu
Background Design: Tran Mai Khanh
Animator: Vu Duc Thanh Son
With the support of: Trinh Thanh Ha, Vu Duc Hieu, Nguyen Thi Hong Ut, Koyo Do
Character and Props Design
Characters and props designs created in Pre-production phase.
Animation test
What people say
Dương demonstrates a strong ability to oversee the various stages of animation production, as well as to direct and coordinate the team to deliver the best possible results. In addition, she has a growth mindset and actively listens, contributing valuable ideas and effective solutions that align with the project’s goals.
Duong is a serious and detail-oriented professional, yet she remains very open-minded and receptive to expert opinions when making decisions, and demonstrates strong problem-solving skills. In the Animation project, Duong brought many fresh and creative ideas — especially playful ones that resonate with children, as she has a wonderfully childlike spirit. I believe this is a particularly valuable quality in the creative field.
Duong is really great in recognizing and assessing her teammates’ strengths, and effectively nudges them to achieve shared goals. She also fosters emotional connection among team members, contributing to a positive working environment.
Working alongside Dương has been the most enriching period of my career. She has a clear vision for the final product, a structured process, and is generous with her guidance — while remaining genuinely open to new ideas and approaches. Working with her has been both a professional and a personally enjoyable experience.
Dương Nguyễn is a reliable leader who consistently organizes and drives work with clarity and efficiency, always keeping me informed of what I needed to do at each stage. She understands each team member's strengths and delegates accordingly, allowing the team to operate smoothly. Throughout our time working together, I have been particularly impressed by her strong expertise, and I have learned a great deal from her logical thinking and her approach to problem-solving.
