San Diego Asian Film Festival 2008

Prior to the collapse of French colonial rule in Vietnam, Dau (Trong Anh Ngoc) and Gu (Nguyen Khanh Quoc) are lovers as well as servants from two different households in the picturesque Vietnamese town of Ha Dong. Both have suffered harshly at the hands of their cruel masters and lack the means to get married in the accepted sense. However, when Gu's master is assassinated, Dau and Gu flee south and eventually ending up in the central Vietnamese seaside town of Hoi An. There, they raise a family with Dau eventually giving birth to four girls. Despite their impoverished conditions, Dau and Gu succeed in building a loving and supportive household. Unfortunately, their loving family life becomes threatened when Gu learns how his wife Dau has been secretly earning money to support their family and as the horrors of the war begin to hit closer to home.

Considered controversial by some, THE WHITE SILK DRESS was the Vietnamese representative at the 80th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language film category and the winner of the Audience Award at the Pusan International Film Festival. A tribute to the strength and heart of Vietnamese women, even when faced with war, this evocative and elegant epic film will be sure to leave a lasting impression.

Co-presented by:
SD Viet Meetup Group
SDSU Vietnamese Student Association