San Diego Asian Film Festival 2008

On April 30, 1975, the final day of the Vietnam War, Doan Hoang’s family departed Saigon on the last helicopter out of the country. On that day, a nation was reunified, but Doan’s family was torn asunder, as brother was separated from brother and Doan’s half-sister, Van, was left behind. Twenty-five years later, Hoang began shooting documentary footage of her family’s story, uncovering family secrets along the way, finally culminating with the Hoang family’s return to Vietnam five years later.

In this astonishing look at a family divided by war, Hoang’s camera is omnipresent, providing the type of intimate access to the Hoang family that only a family member could obtain. The result is the creation of a powerful documentary film depicting the raw emotion and natural human reactions of a family’s struggle to overcome the ramifications of wartime decisions.

Co-presented by:
Vietnamese American Youth Alliance