Vietnamese cinema is enjoying a global moment, with The Ancestral Home—the country’s highest-grossing spiritual film—set to hit North American theatres on 9 May.
The family drama, which has already captivated millions at home, will be distributed by Eastern Edge Films and arrives during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Directed by Huynh Lap, best known for Land of Spirits, The Ancestral Home has drawn more than 3 million admissions since its domestic debut in February, grossing nearly $10 million at the Vietnamese box office. Lap also appears in the film, which marks the first leading role for pop singer-turned-actor Phuong My Chi. The cast includes veteran names Huynh Dong, Dao Anh Tuan and Hanh Thuy.
The plot centres on a young Gen Z content creator who travels back to her ancestral home in search of viral content, only to confront the ghost of her deceased brother and a tangled web of familial tensions. Blending humour, emotional resonance and supernatural themes, The Ancestral Home has struck a chord with Vietnamese audiences and is now poised for global recognition.
Skyline Media, the film’s distributor, is positioning The Ancestral Home as a cultural touchstone for diasporic communities. “Its overwhelming success at home and its unique blend of humour, heart and heritage make it a natural fit for audiences abroad,” said Alice Nguyen, distribution manager at Skyline. “Launching it during culturally significant moments like the Qingming Festival in Taiwan and Asian American History Month in the U.S. is part of our strategy to amplify its impact.”
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The international rollout began in Taiwan on 2 April via MovieCloud and continues in Australia and New Zealand on 24 April through Infinity Entertainment. Releases in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos will follow via EST Media.
The Ancestral Home has also enjoyed a strong digital presence, generating over 3.8 million mentions on social media in Q1 2025 and achieving an 84% Net Sentiment Rate—the highest in its genre.
Eastern Edge Films, the New Jersey-based distributor handling the North American release, specialises in Asian and Arabic-language films. The company recently brought another Vietnamese success, The Real Sister, to over 100 theatres across the U.S. and Canada.’
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Skyline Media has distributed more than 800 international films and continues to play a pivotal role in elevating Vietnamese and Southeast Asian cinema, with The Ancestral Home leading the charge as its most internationally ambitious release to date.
