San Diego Asian Film Festival 2009

Filmmaker Leo Chiang received his MFA in film production from the University of Southern California before going on to write, direct, and produce dozens of films. His latest work, A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES tells the stories of a Vietnamese community called Versailles in the eastern New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The community draws its name “Versailles” from the “Versailles Arms Apartment,” a New Orleans East public housing project where many Vietnamese refugees first resettled during 1975 after their escape as “boat people” during the Vietnam War.

For many of the residents of Versailles, the effects of Hurricane Katrina have forced them to become refugees for the third time in their lifetime. However, through their resilience and determination, the people of Versailles are able to rise to the challenges which lie before them by returning and rebuilding their community. But when the people of Versailles find out that their local New Orleans government has contracted to build a toxic landfill only two miles away, the village of Versailles, both young and old, rise up together in protest.

A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES recounts the empowering stories of how a minority group of people, who have already suffered so much in their lifetime, turns a devastating disaster into a catalyst for change and a chance for a better future. –Jimmy Lee

Co-presented by:
211 San Diego
UCSD Cross Cultural Center