Samuel Díaz Fernández and Ai Vuong didn’t take the most direct path to filmmaking. Samuel started out in pre-med and philosophy, trying to bridge the gap between science and the soul. It wasn’t until a university class with the filmmaker Kogonada that he realized film could weave together psychology and philosophy in a story form.
Ai’s journey took a bit longer. She spent years working in youth development and nonprofit management, always dreaming of being a writer or photographer but feeling like a career in the arts wasn’t a viable option for an immigrant child. After meeting Samuel and seeing how film combined all her interests, she began filmmaking formally eight years ago.
The duo spent their residency at Azule editing a short documentary about the organization’s founder, Camille. Samuel first met Camille ten years ago and has returned for four residencies since. He describes her work on the house and its mosaics as growing “at the pace of nature”—a little progress here, a branch there.
The film itself has been a decade-long project, evolving in bits and pieces since 2014. Coming to Azule gave them the dedicated time they needed to finally pull it all together. As outsiders to Appalachia, they felt it was essential to stay rooted in the local community, eventually screening a 21-minute rough cut for neighbors on Camille’s birthday.
After the screening, Camille offered a deep insight: “I think I realized that in the film, I am a pretext for the film itself. The film is not about me.” While Camille is the subject, the film is really about a “way of being in the world.” Samuel and Ai focused on capturing this through “transcendence in the ordinary”—focusing on light hitting a wall or a crumb on a table, inspired by abstract expressionism and minimalism.
While the rough cut is done, the work isn’t over. Samuel and Ai are now looking for followers on social media, funding, and connections to universities for screenings in 2026. Their goal is to eventually hold a massive community screening in Hot Springs and Madison County before taking the film to the rest of the world.