Vietnam
Vietnam Delegation
October 31-November 6, 2010
Filmmakers: Carl Deal and Tia Lessin, Trouble the Water
Expert: Diane Carson
“Since Vietnam is one of the three countries most vulnerable to climate change, and because Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, like New Orleans, are both at sea level or below, the film had particular relevance here. In this respect, Trouble the Water proved a perfect fit for Vietnam.” – Diane Carson
Hanoi
The Hanoi portion of the Vietnam delegation included four complete screenings of Trouble the Water. Attendance ranged from 35 to 70 people, including lecturers and students from various universities, as well as individuals interested in the environment and film. At each screening, we introduced ourselves and the film briefly, showed the entire film and then discussed topics of interest to the audience.
Deputy Public Affairs Officer David W. Moyer with the audience at a screening of Trouble the Water, American Embassy annex, Hanoi
Film Studies students at the Hanoi University of Theater and Cinematography had questions about the technical aspects of the film and made comments on the aesthetic decisions. As filmmakers, they noticed several details that Carl and Tia said they had never been asked about in dozens of domestic and foreign screenings. We found this most gratifying. In fact, the students’ attention to detail and thorough grasp of Carl and Tia’s presentational style in Trouble the Water impressed us enormously. The students have clearly received excellent instruction in film analysis and in attention to stylistic elements. We relied heavily on the translator provided by the Embassy for these exchanges, and everyone seemed fully involved.
Carl and Tia made it a point in speaking about the film to note that they approached Hurricane Katrina as a man-made disaster rather than an environmental disaster. Therefore, they guided discussion toward a critique of government and consideration of what its responsibilities to its citizens should be, and how, as journalists and filmmakers, we can help force accountability. In giving the history of New Orleans, for example, before each screening, they drew parallels between Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City and New Orleans—both are former French colonies, built largely below sea level, with Europeans settling on higher ground, etc.
Directors/producers Tia Lessin (seated) and Carl Deal with translator introducing Trouble the Water at the American Embassy annex, Hanoi
This line of discussion proved both challenging and interesting as open critiques of the authorities is not customary in Vietnam. Indeed, much of the press coverage generated toward the end of the delegation visit emphasized that the US State Department had brought filmmakers who criticized the policies of the US government to Vietnam, a remarkable occurrence in their experience.
Discussion with audience members more invested in the environment focused on those aspects of the documentary. Since Vietnam is one of a few countries most vulnerable to climate change, and because Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, like New Orleans, are both at sea level or below, the film had particular relevance here. In this respect, Trouble the Water proved a perfect fit for Vietnam. In fact, flooding occurred in central Vietnam before and during our delegation’s time here, with The Viet Nam News (the national English language daily) often including stories about these events. On several occasions, audience members brought up the parallel problems that US and Vietnamese citizens confront.
Vietnamese director Dang Nhat Minh at a luncheon, Hanoi, the week before being honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles for his work
In each of the four screenings, we found the audience at first slightly reticent to speak up, but they quickly warmed to the friendly exchange and the inviting atmosphere becoming engaged and interested. As in Burma, individuals approached us after the program concluded to make personal contacts and exchange cards. We welcomed this and enjoyed the casual atmosphere created by the Embassy staff and the hosts at the university screenings.
One day, we had lunch with two Vietnamese filmmakers, including well-known veteran director Dang Nhat Minh, whom the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored November 10 in Los Angeles. We felt honored to have this opportunity to talk with him in an informal and very pleasant setting. He generously included us in his busy schedule, which we appreciated and enjoyed. We learned about how the government censorship process works for both fiction and nonfiction filmmakers in Vietnam, and we spoke about how the commercial market in the US serves to limit expression. In Vietnam, for example, scripts must receive approval before production begins, with several rounds of revision and re-submission sometimes required.
Luncheon with Vietnamese director Dang Nhat Minh (end of table) with Carl Deal, Diane Carson, David Moyer (right side of photo)
We also participated in an hour-long press round table with journalists representing five different media outlets, all of which are government controlled. We spoke about Trouble the Water, the role of documentary film in holding government accountable for its actions, and as a catalyst for change.
The embassy staff, led by Deputy Public Affairs Officer David Moyer, assisted by Cultural Affairs Assistant Nguyem Lan Huong, presented an extremely well-organized, professional program. They responded to hundreds of questions with insightful information. They also kindly changed our noon flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to 7:25 p.m. so that we would have the day to see some of the historically important places in Hanoi. For example, I visited the Ho Lao prison, also called the “Hanoi Hilton” by the American pilots held there during the American Vietnam War. Seeing American history presented from a Vietnamese perspective offers a valuable example of cultural differences. The French used this prison from the late 19th century on, and so its historical importance includes earlier years as well.
Press roundtable with journalists from various media outlets, Hanoi
Our time in Hanoi was short, only three days including travel, but we felt it offered excellent exposure of the American Documentary Showcase to both specialized film students and to the general public. The enthusiasm shown will have a ripple effect hard to measure but significant nonetheless. On numerous occasions, we heard that audience members marveled at our freedom of expression, and we noted at every screening that our US State Department made our delegation possible and that that same State Department knew the critical analytical content of our films. This had an impact at every event. In addition, we learned a great deal about Vietnam since this program offers the best kind of opportunity for us to learn from our immersion in the culture, however brief.
Ho Chi Minh City
Documentary director Nguyen Viet Hung, Ho Chi Minh City Television Film Studios, giving director/producer Carl Deal copies of his Global Rivers documentary series
We spent the second half of our delegation time in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. There we presented Trouble the Water to two groups of 45 to 60 people in each. Our first screening included NGO staff working in the field of natural disaster and emergency preparedness, consulate staff and students from the University of Natural Science and College of Radio and Television. After a brief introduction, the audience watched the entire film followed by an extended discussion period. All our Q&A sessions exceeded the allotted time, a sign of the engagement and responsiveness of the audiences.
As in previous sessions, questions ranged from the usual ones about how Carl and Tia met their subjects––Kimberly and Scott––to the responses they have received about their work. Many wanted to know how Carl and Tia funded their project, if they had to get prior approval from censorship boards, what Kimberly and Scott are doing now, how New Orleans has recovered, etc. Some individuals had specialized and very sophisticated questions concerning film choices. Consistently, audience members expressed their deep emotional connection to the story and the profound impact it had on them. It is gratifying to see how powerful Trouble the Water is to Vietnamese audiences; that is, none of the cultural differences between American and Vietnamese societies interferes with the immediacy and impact of the film.
Discussion session at Ho Chi Minh City Television Film Studios with documentry director Nguyen Viet Hung, directors/producers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin and Deputy Press and Cultural Attache Vanessa Tantillo (facing forward on couch)
Some cultural differences did warrant explanation on a couple occasions. For example, the reason Kimberly and Scott couldn’t leave New Orleans (no transportation) was not understand by some. Sometimes the racism inherent in the situation depicted in the film did not come across, though discussion clarified these points. As in Hanoi and Myanmar, audiences commented publicly and privately about the uninhibited freedom of expression on display in the film. We heard, often privately in one-on-one exchanges after the screening, that the ripple effects of the example set by Trouble the Water would have lasting impact.
In addition to the screenings, we visited TFS (Ho Chi Minh City’s Television Film Studio, the official government broadcaster) and met with Mr. Nguyen Hoang, a documentary filmmaker. We watched two documentaries at his office, one on the Mekong River Basin and one featuring environmental issues. Both offered examples of strong, professional filmmaking, albeit for a government-run station. We observed that the films’ content seemed to reflect government-imposed limitations; for example, no direct criticism of any governmental policies. While we did not raise this topic directly with the filmmakers, in their description of the projects they acknowledged some limitations on their subjects. We had a productive, constructive discussion after each of the short films. Hoang gave Carl and Tia DVDs of the Mekong project, which included dozens of episodes.
Before a screening of Trouble the Water at the American Consulate, Ho Chi Minh City (from left): Film Specialist Diane Carson, Cultural Affairs Assistant Pham T. Khanh Linh, Deputy Press and Cultural Attache Vanessa Tantillo, Producers/directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal with American Consulate staff
We also toured the Tri Viet Media Corporation Film Studio and visited the Tri Viet’s Academy, a new facility for training students and the first to include a film dubbing/voiceover program. We concluded with a meeting with the CEO, who has initiated landmark technical training and many new programs for the Vietnamese community. Several hours were devoted to this tour of the production and training facility, which primarily produces soap-opera episodic programming, so this was not that useful a meeting for us or for them––but we may have contributed as good-will ambassadors.
The next day, after the morning screening of Trouble the Water to filmmakers and cultural reporters (approximately 45 to 50 total audience members), we again had a lengthy discussion that went almost one and a half hours after the screening. It began with questions from the film students and concluded with many questions from the reporters, followed by a few one-on-one interviews. The entire session was most gratifying and nicely inclusive of concerns from a filmmaker’s perspective and from a reporter’s point-of-view. We even discussed quite theoretical issues about cinema verite and decisions that directors must make.
We concluded our Ho Chi Minh City events with a coffee with local filmmakers/directors and producers at a local café where these filmmakers meet on a regular basis. We felt honored to be included in their regular Saturday dialogue. We watched two films by directors in attendance––one, a short film called Crying Ladies, and the other, a portion of a cinema-verite film entitled My Apartment Building. The screening of these two films was followed by a discussion and Q&A session. As usual, the discussion continued after the formal part of the event with descriptions of American working methods and expression.
Summary
Filmmakers at a discussion session in Ho Chi Minh City at which they screened two of their films
The American Documentary Showcase delegation to Vietnam included many gratifying exchanges and presentations of Carl and Tia’s Trouble the Water and of local filmmakers’ work. We know that the exposure to our freedom of expression surprised many just, as it offered another way of approaching issues as we work toward what we hope will be better solutions. We can’t count the times we heard comments on the refreshing openness and uncensored presentation of Trouble the Water, and also surprise that producers of a film critical of the government would be supported in this American Documentary Showcase by the US State Department. Audiences also emphasized at every screening how deeply the film moved them.
Director/producer Tia Lessin introducing Trouble the Water at the American Consulate, Ho Chi Minh City, with director/producer Carl Deal and Public Affairs Officer Kit Norland seated
We stressed over and over how much we share with each other; how climate change, for one example, impacts us all, and how important our continuing open dialogue is. These comments were always well received and endorsed. Often, I felt we became good-will ambassadors, which I found very important and satisfying.
We represented the American Documentary Showcase to diverse audiences. The lasting, as well as the immediate, impact is difficult to quantify. But if the enthusiasm and involvement of the audience and those who stayed after the screenings are any measure, this was a tremendously successful program that we feel honored to have presented to the Vietnamese communities we met.