Past Panel Discussions

Past PANEL DISCUSSIONS @ ViFF 2009
Crossing Boundaries: Female Filmmakers and Questions of Genre and Gender

Moderated by Lan Duong, Ph.D. (from Center for Women in Coalition, UC Riverside)

Panelists: Doan Hoang, Tammy Nguyen Lee, Tien Nguyen, Kim Spurlock, and Kim-Trang Tran

SUNDAY, April 5th

2:00pm-3:30pm

Humanities Instructional Building

(HIB) 100, UC Irvine

“Crossing Boundaries: Female Filmmakers and Questions of Gender and Genre” brings together a vibrant group of women filmmakers who have shaped and continue to shape the emergent body of work that is Vietnamese American filmmaking.  The panelists include Kim-Trang Tran (”Blindness” Series), Kim Spurlock (Down in Number 5), Doan Hoang (Oh, Saigon), Tammy Nguyen (Operation Babylift) and Tien Nguyen (Fortunate Son).  We will be speaking about issues related to genre, funding, production and the reception of women’s films, especially within the Vietnamese American film context. This panel aims to explore the opportunities that are offered to women filmmakers and producers today and the struggles that they face in making films.

Combating HumanTrafficking: How YOU Can Help

Moderated by Tu-Uyen Nguyen, Ph.D., M.P.H.(Assistant Professor, CSUF)

Panelists: Mirabelle Ang (Director, Match Made); Suzie Xuyen Dong-Matsuda, PsyD, MSW, LCSW (Service Chief of Adult Mental Health Services, Orange County Health Care Agency), Thang Dinh Nguyen, Ph.D. (Executive Director, Boat People SOS), and Tammy Tran (President, VietACT).

SUNDAY, April 5th

6:15pm-8:00pm

Humanities Instructional Building (HIB) 135, UC Irvine

Human trafficking refers to the recruitment, transportation, and harboring of persons for forced labor, sexual exploitation, or other illicit activities.  Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery.  The International Labor Organization of the United Nations (UN) estimates that there are approximately 12 million women, men, and children enslaved throughout the world at any given time, being deprived of their basic human rights.  Since 2001, over 600,000 Vietnamese persons have been trafficked to over 20 different countries; 80,000 additional Vietnamese individuals continue to be exported and forced into slavery each year.  What can be done to fight this global injustice? The speakers on this panel will share their experiences as activists working to bring attention to this important topic.  Come learn what we all can do to inform ourselves, raise community awareness, and take action to make a difference in combating and stopping human trafficking.

When Autumn Sunlight Comes

(Khi Nắng Thu Về)
Vietnam 2007
97 min / 35mm color
Vietnamese with English subtitles
*Contains mature contents.
Viewer discretion advised

In this gripping tale based in modern-day Vietnam, director Bui Trung Hai takes the audience on a
journey full of unexpected twists and turns, as he brings to life the characters of young people who
struggle with the familiar themes of love, betrayal, friendship, dysfunctional family dynamics, and a
host of other trappings within a frantic, often cut-throat society.
Khi Nắng Thu Về centers around Trung (played by Vu Huy Trinh), an ambitious recent university graduate,
who just cannot seem to shake a string of unfortunate events that had forced him away from a
promising career as a broadcast journalist to the mean streets of Hanoi as a xe ôm operator. As his
professional career falters, so does his personal life, as he has to cope with an ailing mother, an
irresponsible younger brother, and a girlfriend who has left him in his darkest hours.
As quickly as he loses love, Trung finds it again in the most unlikely of circumstances when he meets Ha
(played by Kieu Anh), the owner of the bar where he frequents. Things finally seem to take a turn for
the better as Ha helps Trung get back on his feet. But as luck would have it, happiness again does not
last long for Trung when yet another tragic event intervenes, this time striking Ha.
Nominated for a Golden Kite Award in Vietnam, Khi Nắng Thu Về is Bui Trung Hai’s directorial debut
following his long and celebrated career as a cinematographer. With a provocative storyline,
combined with cutting-edge camera techniques and the distinctive style of a director who is not
afraid to chart his own path, this film will leave the audience talking long after the curtains come down.
- Tran Tuong Huy

PRODUCER:
Vietnam Feature Film Company
DIRECTOR / WRITER:
Bui Trung Hai
CINEMATOGRAPHER:
Pham Vi Linh
SOUND:
Banh Bac Hai
MUSIC:
Trong Dai
EDITOR:
Nguyen Thuy Binh
MAIN CAST:
Vu Huy Trinh, Nguyen Kieu Anh

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