BOAT PEOPLE (Tou Bun No Hoi)

Director(s): Ann Hui
Country: Hong Kong / Vietnam
Year: 1982 (archive film)
Language: Cantonese Chinese with English subtitles
Length: 111 minutes

Program:
4 April - 19.30 hours - Filmmuseum Vondelpark Amsterdam

A landmark of the Hong Kong New Wave cinema of the early 80’s, this melodrama concerns the plight of Vietnamese peasants shortly after the fall of Saigon. The film centers on Shiomi Akutagawa, a Japanese photojournalist who ventures to Danang to document Vietnam’s attempts at rebuilding after the war. Akutagawa meets the young Vietnamese girl Cam Nuong, who overcomes her initial suspicion towards the foreigner and quickly develops a bond with him. Through Cam Nuong’s eyes, Akutagawa sees a different Vietnam than the one of the state propaganda. Villagers live in constant terror of marauding soldiers, and children scavenge the bodies of executed prisoners for valuables.

This award-winning film launched the career of future pop icon and movie star Andy Lau.