A scene from the film (Source: film crew) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnamese filmmakerLinh Nga’s ‘Inside This Peace’ has won the prize for the Best FeatureDocumentary at the California Women’s Film Festival.
The documentary is about a forgotten victim ofAgent Orange (AO) in Vietnam who is struggling to live in peace. Thoa, thefilm’s subject, has “scary skin with huge black patches, numerous lumps andhair all over her body”. The lumps are filled with fluid and cannot be drained.For decades, Thoa’s parents have been looking for the Government’s help.
"I hope the award will help Thoa and other AOvictims in Vietnam have more opportunity to raise their voices," saidfilmmaker Nga. "I’m living and working in the US and it is not easyfor me to make a film about AO victims in peace.
"Sending the documentary to film festivalsand winning the award is not only a success for the filmmakers but also for AOvictims,” Nga said. “I didn’t make Inside This Peace for awards but Isent the documentary to film festivals aiming to popularise it. The documentaryis recognised officially by American and international professional filmmakers."
Nga met Thoa when she was 13 years old when theyperformed together in a charity show. While Thoa’s appearance scared otherchildren, Nga felt Thoa’s suffering. Nga later learned Thoa did not go toschool like other children because her mother was afraid that Thoa would bebullied by her classmates.
Thoa’s mother taught her to read and write athome. Thoa moved to Hoa Binh Village for AO child patients when she was eight.
'Inside This Peace' was screened on Vimeo OnDemand across America for one week around Christmas. It was screened at theLift Off Global Network Festival and placed second among 115 internationalfilms.
The California Women’s Film Festival operates as abiannual event for film projects that have a woman in at least one of the keyproduction positions. It has a winter event in January and summer one in July.
‘Inside This Peace’ is Nga’s second filmafter What’s the Good of Being Good? – a short comedy featuringVietnamese actor Duc Tien and vovinam martial artists.
Before studing filmmaking and sound design in theUS, Nga was popular in Vietnamese television for such series as KhoangCach (Distance); Dom Lua Bien Thuy (Border Flame) and XuoiNguoc Duong Tran (In The Shadow of Life).
Nga was the script writer, lead role andco-director for ‘In The Shadow of Life’, which earned her the TV BestSeries award at the National Television Festival in 2003.-VNS/VNA
The documentary is about a forgotten victim ofAgent Orange (AO) in Vietnam who is struggling to live in peace. Thoa, thefilm’s subject, has “scary skin with huge black patches, numerous lumps andhair all over her body”. The lumps are filled with fluid and cannot be drained.For decades, Thoa’s parents have been looking for the Government’s help.
"I hope the award will help Thoa and other AOvictims in Vietnam have more opportunity to raise their voices," saidfilmmaker Nga. "I’m living and working in the US and it is not easyfor me to make a film about AO victims in peace.
"Sending the documentary to film festivalsand winning the award is not only a success for the filmmakers but also for AOvictims,” Nga said. “I didn’t make Inside This Peace for awards but Isent the documentary to film festivals aiming to popularise it. The documentaryis recognised officially by American and international professional filmmakers."
Nga met Thoa when she was 13 years old when theyperformed together in a charity show. While Thoa’s appearance scared otherchildren, Nga felt Thoa’s suffering. Nga later learned Thoa did not go toschool like other children because her mother was afraid that Thoa would bebullied by her classmates.
Thoa’s mother taught her to read and write athome. Thoa moved to Hoa Binh Village for AO child patients when she was eight.
'Inside This Peace' was screened on Vimeo OnDemand across America for one week around Christmas. It was screened at theLift Off Global Network Festival and placed second among 115 internationalfilms.
The California Women’s Film Festival operates as abiannual event for film projects that have a woman in at least one of the keyproduction positions. It has a winter event in January and summer one in July.
‘Inside This Peace’ is Nga’s second filmafter What’s the Good of Being Good? – a short comedy featuringVietnamese actor Duc Tien and vovinam martial artists.
Before studing filmmaking and sound design in theUS, Nga was popular in Vietnamese television for such series as KhoangCach (Distance); Dom Lua Bien Thuy (Border Flame) and XuoiNguoc Duong Tran (In The Shadow of Life).
Nga was the script writer, lead role andco-director for ‘In The Shadow of Life’, which earned her the TV BestSeries award at the National Television Festival in 2003.-VNS/VNA
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