A Village Called Versailles

A Village Called Versailles is a documentary about Versailles, an isolated community in eastern New Orleans that has been settled by Vietnamese refugees since the late 1970s. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Versailles residents impressively rise to the challenges the disaster created by being the first community in New Orleans to return to and rebuild their neighborhood. Within weeks of their return, however, their homes were threatened again--by a new government-imposed toxic landfill just two miles away. A Village Called Versailles recounts the empowering story of how this 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.

Trailer

Credits

Director//Producer: S. Leo Chiang
Executive Producer: Sally Jo Fifer
Cinematographers: S. Leo Chaing, Francis James
Editors: Kristy Guevera-Flanagan, Amy Young
Composer: Joel Goodman
Total Running Time: 67 min.
Website: www.AVillageCalledVersailles.com

About The Filmmaker

Born and raised in Taiwan, S. LEO CHIANG immigrated to the US as a teenager and received a MFA in film production from University of Southern California before beginning his filmmaking career. As a film student, Chiang was commissioned by the Directors Guild of America to direct and edit Directing: How to Get There, for which he documented early careers of several well-known directors including Robert Wise, Norman Jewison and Steven Spielberg. In addition to A Village Called Versailles, his films include To You Sweetheart, Aloha, about the 94-year-old ukulele master Bill Tapia (PBS broadcast ’06; Audience Award at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival ’05), One + One, a documentary about mixed HIV-status couples (CINE Golden Eagle Award ’02; Cable Positive Award ’01) and Safe Journey, a short fiction film (PlanetOut.com Short Movie Award ’02 - Audience Award, Drama). Chiang also collaborates with other documentarians as an editor (True-Hearted Vixen, POV ’01; Recalling Orange County, PBS/VOCES ‘06) and as a cameraman (It’s STILL Elementary, ’09; Ask Not, Independent Lens ’09). Chiang is an active member of New Day Films, a social-issue documentary distribution co-operative.

Awards

New Orleans Film Festival: Audience Award
Council on Foundations Film & Video Festival: Henry Hampton Award
Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival: Best Documentary
San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival: Audience Award