Journey from the Fall
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| Journey from the Fall | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical Poster |
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| Directed by | Ham Tran |
| Produced by | Lam Nguyen Ham Tran |
| Written by | Ham Tran |
| Starring | Kieu Chinh Long Nguyen Diem Lien Cat Ly |
| Music by | Christopher Wong |
| Cinematography | Guillermo Rosas Julie Kirkwood |
| Editing by | Ham Tran |
| Distributed by | ImaginAsian Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 23 March 2007 30 March 2007 (Expands) |
| Running time | 135 min. |
| Language | English Vietnamese |
| Budget | $1,600,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
Journey from the Fall (Vietnamese: Vượt Sóng) is an independent movie by writer/director/editor Ham Tran, about the Vietnamese refugee camp and boat people experience following the Fall of Saigon on April 30th, 1975. This drama is highly-praised among the Vietnamese diaspora as the "Schindler's List" for the Vietnamese community, and was released on March 23, 2007 by ImaginAsian to sold-out screenings. The film is notable for being financed entirely by the Vietnamese American community.
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[edit] Reception
An early cut of the film was screened in April 2005 in sold-out one-day-only showings in Little Saigon, Washington, DC and San Jose to commemorate the 30 year anniversary of the Fall of Saigon. The movie was highly-praised by the Vietnamese diaspora as an accurate presentation of the experiences that many Vietnamese people had to go through[1][2][3][4]. In the process of making the film, the director interviewed more than 400 former boat people, some of whom are cast in the movie even though they are not professional actors[3]. In the opening weekend, it played in packed theaters, generating $87,442 in receipt, the largest per theater for that weekend ($21,861)[5].
The movie received mostly favorable reviews. The New York Times remarked that the director "achieve[s] the impossible" and called it a "tearjerker"[6]. The Los Angeles Times called it a "superbly wrought saga of loss and survival" and "an example of sophisticated, impassioned filmmaking involving mainly people who lived through the harrowing experiences so unsparingly depicted"[7]. The San Jose Mercury News review of the movie called it "heartbreaking" and gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars[8]. Variety said it "deserves to be seen by a wider commercial audience" and is "frequently enthralling"[9]. New York Magazine had a negative review of the movie, saying that it has "several powerful sequences" but "never quite come[s] alive"[10].
[edit] Release
The movie was purchased by ImaginAsian Pictures, and released in Orange County, New York City, and San Jose on March 23, 2007 to sold-out screenings. With a total gross of $87,442 in its opening weekend, it has one of the highest opening weekend for any Vietnamese diasporic movie to date. The average-per-screen gross of $21,861 made Journey from the Fall also the highest average-per-screen movie of any movie that opened on the March 23 weekend [1], and the title was kept when the second weekend's average-per-screen gross of $16,513 also surpassed any other movie's numbers.
The release will expand on March 30, 2007 to Dallas and Houston followed by further expansions to Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Berkeley and other cities.
[edit] Awards
- Grand Jury Prize - Amazonas International Film Festival, Brazil
- Winner, Best Feature Film – Anchorage International Film Festival
- Winner, Best Cinematography - Milano International Film Festival
- Winner, Long Nguyen, Best Actor - Newport Beach Film Festival
- Special Jury Prize - Newport Beach Film Festival
- Audience Award - San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
- Grand Jury Award - San Diego Asian Film Festival
- Jury Award - Dallas Asian Film Festival
- Winner, Ham Tran, Best Director - Asian Festival of First Film
- Winner, Lam Nguyen, Best Producer – Asian Festival of First Film
- Audience Award - Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
- Special Project Award - The Princess Grace Foundation, USA
- Best Feature Film – Boulder International Film Festival
The movie was not eligible for competition in the Sundance Film Festival even though it was an official selection, due to the fact that it was screened prior at a Korea film festival (only world premiere films at Sundance are eligible for competition). The movie most likely will not be eligible for the Academy Awards because it's a foreign-language film, and it is unlikely for Vietnam to submit this movie as their official foreign language entry.
[edit] References
- ^ Thanh Nguyên. "Sáu năm cho một cuốn phim Vượt Sóng - Journey from the fall (Kỳ 1)", Nguoi Viet Daily News, March 20, 2007. Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
- ^ Thanh Nguyên. "Sáu năm cho một cuốn phim Vượt Sóng - Journey from the fall (Kỳ 2)", Nguoi Viet Daily News, March 20, 2007. Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
- ^ a b Howard Ho. "The departure from Vietnam, experienced", Los Angeles Times, March 23, 2007. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
- ^ L.A. Chung. "Chung: Film connects generations in aftermath of Saigon's fall", San Jose Mercury News, March 24, 2007. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
- ^ "Per screen, `Journey' has other films in U.S. beat", San Jose Mercury News, March 26, 2007. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
- ^ Matt Zoller Seitz. "Journey From the Fall: Surviving in the Aftermath of Vietnam", New York Times, March 23, 2007. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
- ^ Kevin Thomas (March 23, 2007). Movie Review: Journey From the Fall. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
- ^ Bruce Newman. "Vietnam family's tale will break your heart", San Jose Mercury News, March 22, 2007. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
- ^ Russell Edwards. "Reviews:Journey from the Fall", Variety, 18 tháng 10, 2005. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
- ^ "Journey From the Fall", New York Magazine, March 23, 2007. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
