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Now more than ever, a New Wave of Vietnamese Diaspora filmmakers is revolutionizing contemporary Vietnamese cinema. Like the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers (Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou among them) who transformed filmmaking in China in the mid-1980s when they broke away from the socialist-realist cinema of the Cultural Revolution, these talented young directors are reclaiming and reinventing Viet Nam’s rich cultural heritage as they chart a new vision of cinema that reflects modern social concerns. Many of the films are being made in Viet Nam, a sign of the burgeoning film industry there.

In this issue of NHA you’ll meet six up-and-coming filmmakers who are contributing to the impressive body of work by award-winning directors like Tran Anh Hung (Scent of Green Papaya, Cyclo, Vertical Ray of the Sun) and Tony and Timothy Bui (Three Seasons, Green Dragon). These new directors cover the gamut from dramatic films to action dramas to documentaries.

It’s been a good year for Vietnamese films: Ham Tran’s Journey from the Fall won an Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) in March (fresh on the heels of its Sundance screening), and Doan Minh Phuong’s Bride of Silence won the Best ASEAN Film Award at the Bangkok International Film Festival in February. In our Special Film Section we offer a retrospective of Akira Kurosawa, the great maestro of filmmaking. We bring you full coverage of the 24th Annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and take you down the red carpet at the Bangkok International Film Festival, the glitziest event in Asia. You’ll get up close and personal with legendary film star Kieu Chinh, whose timeless beauty and grace has inspired generations of filmmakers. A class act, her star continues to shine as brightly as her most enduring classic films.

Kathy Nguyen
Editor
2004-2006