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Rising Above
Women of Vietnam
Vietnamese women build on experiences of war.
50 minutes
Directed by Heiny Srour
Produced by October Films with TVE
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In the long years of war against France and the U.S., Vietnamese women fought alongside men as equals. Women such as Madam Binh, who negotiated with Henry Kissinger at the Paris Peace Accords, and later became Vice President of Vietnam, and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Dinh, general and deputy commander of the Vietcong forces, reached the highest positions of power. But 30 years after the signing of the peace agreement, the revival of Confucianism and the spread of market forces are conspiring to relegate women once again to the role of second class citizens. This film looks at what happened to Mrs. Binh and Mrs. Dinh and three other w omen since the war.
Kim Lai was 17 in 1965 when she captured an American pilot twice her size and the newspaper photograph of them was circulated around the world. Vo Thi Thang was also the subject of a famous picture. Sentenced to 20 years in jail by the South Vietnamese government for her part in the Tet offensive, her unrepentant smile was captured by photographers. Dr. Duong Quynh Hoa, Shadow Minister of Health in the provisional government, became Deputy Minister of Health for two years after the war until she became disillusioned.
Vietnamese women overcame seemingly insurmountable odds in wartime. Their peacetime challenge is to rise above centuries of obedience and self-denial to build their own and their country's future.
Grade Level: 10-12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 1996
Copyright Date: 1995
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-610-1
VHS ISBN: 1-56029-660-7
Reviews
"An excellent film...well organized...compelling narration...Highly recommended." Belinda L. Robinson-Jones, Ohio University, MC Journal
"Have you ever wondered about Vietnamese heroines? This is a heroic film about the intrepid participation of women in the war effort." T.T. Nhu, San Jose Mercury-News
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"An excellent film...well organized...Highly recommended."
MC Journal
Links
www.tve.org (The producer's web site)
Awards and Festivals
Certificate of Merit, San Francisco International Film Festival
Bronze WorldMedal, New York Festivals
DESIRABLE, California Instructional Technology Clearinghouse
Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference
Subjects
Anthropology
Asian Studies
Developing World
Globalization
History
Human Rights
Humanities
International Studies
Social Justice
Vietnam
War and Peace
Women's Studies
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