There will be many opportunities to see this film in New York in the coming weeks. Please do yourself the favor of attending a screening of this gorgeous and moving film:
P.O.V. is hosting a sneak preview of The Betrayal which will air as part of the stellar PBS series' 2009 season. The screening is on November 13 (this Thursday) at 7:00 p.m. in Arnhold Hall at The New School (55 West 13th Street in Manhattan). The great Ellen Kuras and her subject, co-director and editor, Thavisouk Phrasavath, will be there to talk to Michelle Materre and the audience about their extraordinary relationship and collaboration in making this piece which they've been working on together for close to 25 years. I saw this film at the Robert Flaherty Seminar in June and that's a tough crowd, believe me. To a person, we were all incredibly moved, blown away by the visual beauty of the film and tragic/triumphant story of this young Lao refugee and his torn-apart family. And Kuras and Phrasavath are both extraordinary speakers. You will walk away profoundly changed and inspired.
The film recounts Phrasavath's journey from
war-torn Laos to an urban America that tests both his past beliefs and
future hopes. As part of the Vietnam War, our Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) used Laos and its citizens for secret war operations,
leading to mass bombings and destruction. When the U.S. abandoned the
country and the Royal Army it had backed, of which Phrasavath's father, a
respected officer, was a member, the young man's life descended into turmoil. Later reunited
with his family in Brooklyn, he and his mother (pictured) were left to deal with the fallout of multiple betrayals--between countries, between husband and wife, between father
and son--as they struggled to survive in exile. This is a Diverse Voices Project
co-production, in conjunction with American Documentary | P.O.V. Admission is free; no tickets or reservations required; seating is first-come first-served.
There will also be a gala premiere (by invitation only) at The Paley Center on Tuesday the 18th, close upon the heels of the film's theatrical run at the IFC Center. Opening night will be Friday the 21st for a one-week run ending Thursday, November 27th.
Kuras has also chosen to collaborate with New York-based distributor Cinema Guild. They are in the midst of launching a major educational and social outreach program to various institutions, governmental organizations, schools, churches, refugee organizations and other groups tied to the various Laotian refugee communities scattered around the country.
Comments