New Wave (USA)
Genre: Music Documentary
Country: USA
Year: 2024
Duration: 88 mins
Director: Elizabeth Ai
Language(s): English, Vietnamese
Subtitles: English
Producer: Elizabeth Ai, p.g.a., Rachel Sine, p.g.a.
Principal Cast: Ian “DJ BPM” Nguyen, Lynda Trang Dai, Elizabeth Ai
Synopsis
Filmmaker Elizabeth Ai embarks on a journey to capture the vibrant spirit of a musical phenomenon that electrified Vietnamese American teens in the 1980s: New Wave. What begins as an exploration of the rebellion and freedom within this subculture evolves into a profound narrative of identity, loss, and healing. In Orange County, California, the synth beats and punk/goth aesthetics provided a sanctuary for a generation of youth grappling with the weight of their parents' unspoken traumas.
As Elizabeth delves into the lives of her family members and icons of the New Wave scene, she discovers that beneath the surface lies a complex tapestry of broken dreams and unfulfilled expectations.
These were not just fleeting moments of teenage rebellion but acts of defiance against the lingering shadows of the Vietnam War and the sacrifices made by a generation trying to rebuild.
The film juxtaposes the memories of her uncles and aunts—sneaking out to underground clubs—with Elizabeth's own childhood, marked by her mother's abandonment. What starts as a celebration of a cultural movement transforms into a cathartic journey. As the filmmaker unravels long-buried emotions and confronts the generational wounds that have shaped her community, the film becomes a powerful exploration of cultural identity, resilience, and new beginnings.
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Date
Video
Asian World Film Festival
The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF), founded by Kyrgyz public figure Sadyk Sher-Niyaz and overseen by Executive & Program Director Georges N. Chamchoum, brings the very best of a broad selection of Asian World cinema to Los Angeles to draw greater recognition to the region's wealth of filmmakers and strengthen ties between the Asian and Hollywood film industries. Uniting through cross-cultural collaboration, the Festival champions films from over 50 countries across Asia, spanning from Turkey to Japan and from Russia to India and South-East Asia. The Festival is unique in that it predominantly screens Oscar and Golden Globe submissions for Best International Feature Film and Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language respectively. All films that participate in the Festival will have a unique chance to be guided through the challenging awards season and showcased to members of the Motion Picture Academy, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and all Guilds for enhanced exposure, media attention and awards consideration. AWFF is a non-profit organization under Aitysh USA.