May 21.
The sea remembers.
On this day, years ago, my family was pulled from the sea by the SS Sibonga.
When we fled Vietnam, we were one of three boats.
Only two boats survived.
One sank beneath the waves—every life aboard, lost to the deep.
We were spared.
The Sibonga rescued over 900 on 21 May.
I was one of them.
I carry this like salt in my blood—grateful for the breath I have drawn.
Haunted by the ones who never reached shore.
Today, I think of them.
And all who adrift—caught in the tides of war, displacement, and exile.
Voice over by @soho_jan
Motion GFX by @simon__ratliff
Sound by @jodie_davey_creates
📖 The Endless Sea 🌊
Written by Chi Thai
Illustrated by Linh Dao
Designed by Nghiem Ta
Published by Walker Books (UK) & Candlewick Press (US)
“A mother, a father, and their two young daughters leave home behind in search of a new one.”
🔗 Link in bio to get your copy
#TheEndlessSea #VietnameseStories #RefugeeVoices #BooksThatMatter #ESEA #Vietnamese #Refugee #PictureBooks #Nonfiction #VietnamWar #Bookstagram #DebutAuthor #RefugeeStories #MustRead
The annual BIFA awards were held just 48h ago. #RagingGrace (directed by @ParisZarcilla ) was nominated for 2 awards - the Raindance Maverick Award + Best Breakthrough Producer.
Our film was the only narrative feature in the BIFAs made outside of the establishment - by that I mean the production was not financed with public funding + the typical array of support that attracts.
I had no expectations of a win, the British film industry has largely ignored our film: its funding and subsequent recognition / success came from overseas, despite being made by British filmmakers.
That said, I came to the BIFAs prepared, should a miracle happen. I felt that there are things I need to share - with so few opportunities to hold court with so many power holders poised to listen I did not want to squander the opportunity to be heard.
The things I wanted to say are not only informed by Raging Grace but also by “The Exclusion Act”, a report I co-authored with @delphilievens . Although the speech doesn’t mention it, I also have a new report due to be launched in 2024 “Disrupt the Narrative” which I co-authored with Josh Cockcroft + Delphine Lievens.
"The Exclusion Act" examines the UK theatrical release of British films, while "Disrupt the Narrative" makes visible what is happening at development + production funding stage. The findings are stark for the British #ESEA community: together the reports show that #ESEAs are being excluded across the whole system + value chain.
Despite not having a chance to share my thoughts at the BIFA awards, win or lose, I realised I still needed to say something. Typically we share only successes, giving a skewed version of events. I say this knowing I can hold my successes with pride + gratitude, but also be critical of failure; both systemic + my own.
For an #ESEA filmmaker, the pressure to only showcase success feels even sharper + deeper. My inclusion in society is predicated on being the #GoodImmigrant, + with that comes the pressure to be grateful for what I am given; to put up + shut up.
If #RagingGrace has taught one thing, it is that healing + joy is what awaits when we transgress our masters. With that sentiment I share my words.
These days, the opportunity to luxuriate in time, to drench yourself in a world, to immerse oneself in a perspective is so rare.
So to sit together and breathe in the world of kabuki for three hours was time spent richly.
Thank you to all our partners, contributors and volunteers for making our Kokuho screenings so special.
To the distributor @vue.lumiere
To @chop_stick_n_poke for her tattoo art
To @yutakaeats for gifting the wasabi peas
To @wacafelondon for the snowball treats
To our very hard working community partners:
@move.midlands@voiceesea@eseacreatives
Relive the highlights thanks to our photographers
@matt.tam.captures@rchlyt@mmayviraa
Kokuho is part of our SUPERSIZE MilkTea Programme. a project supported by the BFI with National Lottery funding.
Kokuho is out in cinemas from May 8.
Last Thursday, we celebrated the release of EXIT 8 and what a night it was.
So many of you came suited and booted for the occasion, and a special shoutout to everyone who embraced the glorious shades of yellow! Thank you for fully indulging our love of dressing up.
Time to relive some of the highlights:
⚠️ The premiere of the utterly brilliant SAYANG by @rayroberts and @jedshepherd , amicro-short inspired by EXIT 8
⚠️ The ❽ 🍪 by @tienan
⚠️ Our exclusive EXIT 8 sticker set
⚠️ The glorious EXIT 8 Oyster card
⚠️ The glorious film itself!
A huge thank you to @vertigoreleasing for supporting this community screening!
Now everyone, get yourself to Exit 8, out in cinemas NOW!
📸 by @jodie_davey_creates
Many Vietnamese diasporic communities today, including in the UK, took shape from the exodus of refugees following the capture of Saigon in 1975. Fifty years later, as Tuyền Đỗ and Chi Thai publish their debut books that speak to their heritage and backgrounds of displacement, these narratives are still rarely championed. Their conversation reflects on their journeys as artists while exploring the largely underrepresented British Vietnamese identity.
Inheritance and Imagination: Tuyền Đỗ and Chi Thai in Conversation
ℹ️ About the contributors:
Tuyền Đỗ is a British Vietnamese actor writer who has performed across UK stages and screen. Her play Summer Rolls was the first British Vietnamese play to be staged in the UK. Summer Rolls the novel is her debut as an author.
Chi Thai is a filmmaker, author and founder of MilkTea.
***
Golden brings together over 50 stellar contributors to celebrate the multitude of ESEA voices and creativity while serving as a cultural time capsule centred on our community in the UK. To give all of the brilliant features in Golden the spotlight that they deserve, we are launching a weekly series to introduce you to each piece in our ESEA anthology and the wonderful people behind them!
The Exclusion Act is a landmark report by Chi Thai and Delphine Lievens, published in 2021 in Representology. Using data-driven research, it exposed where the British film industry is failing the British ESEA community.
One headline finding: Between 2011-2020, only 1 British documentary had been released theatrically by directors with a British ESEA heritage. This was Paul Sng and his film Dispossession.
Five years on from The Exclusion Act, we ask:
What has changed?
Swipe through → to find out.
We are sharing data to help drive change for our community.
Use this data. Share it. Demand inclusion.
This micro-data study was produced in collaboration with @brionylim with support from Paul Sng.
We analysed data collected by Comscore.
You can access The Exclusion Act here: /exclusionact
🌱 Spring has sprung with Great Migrations.
This time last week, the residential phase of Great Migrations began and what a week it was.
Bringing together such a brilliant group of ESEA writers and writer-directors, each developing their debut genre features has been one of the greatest privileges, and one of the most important endeavours MilkTea has undertaken.
The exclusion of UK ESEA voices in the film industry remains stark. In fact, across all the ESEA titles we’ve shared with our community over the past five years, Raging Grace is still the only UK ESEA debut feature we’ve had the honour to work on.
Great Migrations represents something vital to us: the direct nurturing of our homegrown filmmakers.
Now more than ever, these stories need space, support, and funding.
Follow their journey. Champion these voices. Back UK ESEA stories. 🌸
This is the GREAT MIGRATIONS Class of 2026:
✨ A Life of Future Past (Sci-Fi) David Cheung
✨ Blood Owes Blood (Thriller) Serena Coady
✨ Colony (Horror) San San F Young
✨ Dream Rider (Sci-Fi) Catherine Nguyen Dauphin
✨ Get Sucked! (Horror-Comedy) Jemma Moore & Bruce Tang
✨ Haven (Horror) Julie Nørgaard Jensen
✨ Prayers for a Hungry Ghost (Horror) Elisabeth Gunawan
✨ Ripples (Horror) – Jen Lim
✨ Suck (Horror-Comedy) MF Wong
✨ Teddy Girls (Thriller) Lao Lee
✨ The Multiple (Thriller) Emerald Paston
✨ Tilted (Thriller) Kayla Hendy
This is just the beginning. Join us. 🚀
***
Great Migrations is a new development lab for East and/or Southeast Asian (ESEA) writers and writer-directors based in the UK, delivered by MilkTea and supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.
We didn’t expect this.
Our first print run of Golden has officially sold out.
Bringing together the ESEA creative community to create something physical for our thoughts and reflections has grown into something much bigger than we imagined.
Thank you to everyone who bought a copy, shared it, or supported the project. It means more than we can say.
Because so many people asked if there would be another chance, we’ve decided to do one more print run.
Pre-orders are now open.
This run is smaller than the first, so there’s a slight uplift in cost but we’ve kept it as low as possible.
Reserve your copy now for £35, link is in the bio.
When it arrives from the press in April, we’ll be in touch to organise collection or delivery.
Thank you for helping us grow Golden ✨
This just in!
The Carnegies 2026 Shortlist has been released! We are delighted to share that @daottlinh , has been shortlisted for #TheEndlessSea, written by @cheevil & published by @walkerpicturebooks . Congratulations, Linh & the team!
#Carnegies2026 #Awards #BrightArtist @carnegiemedals
“We wanted to show the world a vision of not just excellence and visibility but also plentitude and abundance.”
Last Saturday at @picturehousecentral , we launched Golden. It is a chunky, high-end hardback designed to be a permanent record for the British ESEA community. From the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon to the joy of K-Pop, this volume moves beyond the silent monolith.
Be part of the movement. See @milkteafilms bio to purchase your copy of the annual.
#Golden #ESEA
