FVH Film Night: “The Whistleblower of My Lai”
Thu 29 Mar 2018, 7.30 – 9 pm
Vietnam Feature Films Studio (VFS)
4 Thuy Khue, Tay Ho district, Hanoi
From the organizer:
“The Whistleblower of My Lai” captures the artistic journey of the Kronos Quartet as they create an opera about the My Lai massacre, one of the darkest moments of the Vietnam war, with composer Jonathan Berger, tenor Rinde Eckert and master Vietnamese musician, Van-Anh Vo.
It tells the story of Hugh Thompson, the army helicopter pilot who discovered and exposed it. His refusal to remain silent about the massacre of 500 Vietnamese civilians by American troops eventually forced the military to conduct an inquiry, which shook the national conscience.
“The Whistleblower of My Lai” has a richly evocative score by Berger, which alternates between bursts of dense, frenzied activity and slow, hymn-like harmonies of aching sweetness. The story portrays Thompson in his final days, dying of cancer and desperately trying to make some sense of the events of 40 years earlier. Tenor Rinde Eckert makes Thompson a vivid and poignant character. Each episode is itself neatly framed, with Thompson’s present-day reminiscences fading into the events of 1968. In between are taped snippets of interrogation, in which Thompson’s shameful treatment at the hands of congressional investigators is transformed into a TV game show. The music underscores the drama with unerring clarity. The combined effect is hauntingly beautiful.
Set against a historical moment that traumatized American society, “The Whistleblower of My Lai” explores the struggles of an individual facing a moral dilemma of incomprehensible proportions.
Watch the trailer:
The film screening will be followed by Q&A with the Director so please stay on for what will be a fascinating discussion session.
Production year: 2017, released 2018
Subtitle: Film in English
Donation: 150,000vnd
Limit: 50 people
Contact: Film group, [email protected]
Motorbikes and Cycles
Parking fees @ the Studio – 5,000 vnd motorbike; 2,000 vnd for a cycle; 10,000 vnd for car
Notes:
Your reservation is not confirmed until you receive our reply email.
Please arrive by 7.15pm latest to collect and pay for your ticket at VFS. As a courtesy to those on the waiting list – please cancel if you can’t come (phone 0948 057 157).
Reserved seating tickets are allocated on a first come – first served basis. We don’t pre-book seating but if you come early you can get one of the big comfy armchair seats.
Please note that full joining instructions, venue information and location of the viewing theatre will be sent to all those who RSVP a few days before the film
Related post
Program of Friends of Vietnam Heritage (FVH) in March 2018
