Film Information

 

 

Title: Journey From the Fall

Format: 35mm film

Runtime: 135 min

Country: Thailand / USA

Language: Vietnamese w/ English subtitles

Color: Color

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital / Stereo

    

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

 

Set in fractured moments of war-torn Vietnam, re-education camps, and the journey to a better life, Journey From the Fall follows one family's fight for freedom.

 

April 30th, 1975

Against his wife's wishes, Long Nguyen chooses to stay in Vietnam and fight for his beloved country. Knowing that his decision may separate him from his family forever, he asks his wife, Mai, to leave their homeland for safer shores. Together with her son and mother-in-law, Mai reluctantly boards a tiny fishing boat bound for America and they begin a perilous journey across the sea, with nothing but hope to keep them alive.

 

Meanwhile, as the city of Saigon falls under communist rule, Long is captured and imprisoned in a series of re-education camps. There, he endures solitary confinement and witnesses the death of his friends, spiraling him downwards into a deep despair. Believing his family is dead, Long's faith is revived when a mysterious visitor brings news of their survival in the new world. In one moment his fate becomes clear, and he sets in motion a dangerous plan to escape and join his family in freedom.

 

Journey From the Fall is dedicated to the millions of boat people and survivors of the communist re-education camps. This is their story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAST

 

Kieu Chinh (as Ba Noi)

 

 For 45 years, through adverse circumstances, cutting across geographic, racial, and language divides, Kieu Chinh’s name and image have been seen in more than 100 films and TV movies, including The Joy Luck Club, Catfish in Black Bean Sauce, and Green Dragon.
The Academy of Television Arts and Science® in 1996 awarded Kieu Chinh an Emmy® for the documentary, Kieu Chinh: A Journey Home (Fox TV).

Kieu Chinh was among the first actors to sign on with Journey from the Fall because, “this is a project that I really believe in.” Kieu Chinh added, “the story in Journey is the story of all of us Vietnamese-Americans. Every one of us has been touched directly or indirectly, personally or through our close ones, with the fall of Saigon, with the re-education camps, and with the boat people experience. I have been looking for a role in a film like this for a long time, and I am glad to have found it.”

Now living in Southern California, Kieu Chinh actively supports cultural and social causes. In 1992, together with journalist Terry Anderson, Kieu Chinh co-founded the Vietnam Children’s Fund, and helped raise millions of dollars to build 61 schools for Vietnamese children.

 

 

 

 

Long Nguyen (as Long Nguyen)

 

  “He was born for this part,” says Director Ham Tran. Having appeared in more than a dozen feature and short films, including Oliver Stone’s Heaven and Earth and Timothy Bui’s Green Dragon, Long Nguyen is not new to the business.

Nguyen was touched by the script. Born in Vietnam, Long Nguyen and his family fled their native country in 1975, along with millions of other refugees. He identified with the main character instantly and upon reading the last line of the script became determined to play the part saying, “My name is Long Nguyen!” Nguyen explains, “It’s not just a story about the communist rule. The film’s principal message is love. Love from one family member to another, love from one human being to another. Love is such a mystery, and this film helps us explore our love to our family, and to other people. That’s the main message in this film.”

Born in Vietnam, Long Nguyen and his family fled their native country in 1975, along with millions of other refugees. An accomplished painter and sculptor with an MFA in painting (and a BS in Civil Engineering!), Long Nguyen has had several solo and joint exhibitions, including an introspective exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Art entitled “Tales of Yellow Skin.”

 

 

 

Diem Lien (as Mai Nguyen)

 

 Even though Diem Lien is highly sought after as one of the top Vietnamese-American entertainers, she gave up several months of her time to film “Journey from the Fall.” Born in Dalat, Vietnam, Diem Lien arrived in the U.S. in 1990, less than ten years later she burst onto the music scene and has been on top of the chart since.

"I never thought I'd be acting," Diem Lien explains. "When producer Lam Nguyen asked me to audition, my first thought was...he's crazy." However, as the filming progressed, Diem Lien's natural acting abilities came through. "I came to trust [director Ham Tran]," Diem Lien says. "I tried to do what Ham wanted me to. A lot of what I achieved in acting is thanks to Ham's guidance."

Diem Lien resides in Southern California with her husband and four-year-old son. Diem Lien has resumed her successful singing career and can be seen at major Vietnamese concerts worldwide.

 

 

 

Nguyen Thai Nguyen (as Lai Nguyen)

 

 Born and raised in the rural province of Ca Mau, Vietnam, young Nguyen Thai Nguyen's family story is even more dramatic than any screenwriter can imagine. Nguyen's father and grandfather are both former officers in the South Vietnamese naval forces.

After the fall of Saigon, Nguyen's grandfather languished in re-education camps for twelve years before he was released in 1987.  He immediately fled by boat, landing in a refugee camp and settling in California. Meanwhile, in 1980, Nguyen's father was arrested by the authorities for "counter-revolutionary activities" and imprisoned for 11 years. In 1991 he was released, and a year later Nguyen Thai Nguyen was born.

Being a part of the film has helped Nguyen Thai Nguyen learn more about his family. Nguyen’s grandfather says, “During the filming, Thai Nguyen would be asking me about the story line, and I’d be explaining to him. He has come to realize the kind of suffering that his father went through, and the sacrifices that his parents are making so he can get a better future. It has been a journey for Thai Nguyen too.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Khanh Doan (as Captain Nam)

 Khanh Doan was visiting Southern California’s Little Saigon area when, encouraged by a friend, auditioned for a part in Journey from the Fall. “This film is very real to me,” Khanh Doan says. “The story touches me deeply, it reflects a lot of what our people went through. The film helps us understand our own history, and will help the world understand the story of the Vietnamese refugees.” At the time Khanh Doan was cast for the film, he had been in the United States for only four years. “It was not hard for me to play the part of someone just arriving from Vietnam,” he says. “I only needed to be myself.”

 

 

 

Cat Ly (as Phuong)

 Cat Ly was already a celebrity when she auditioned for Journey from the Fall to play Phuong. For the past six years, Cat Ly has been a singer-entertainer in high demand in the Vietnamese music scene and a star of several sold-out musical shows.

Cat Ly values the opportunity to act in Journey from the Fall as it explores a history of herself, of her community never before seen on the screen. “I never knew a lot of things I know now, because of the movie,” Cat Ly says. “As to the world at large, this film deserves an important place because the history of the fall of Saigon and the hardship of refugees is something that reflects our entire humanity.”

Returning to her Southern California home, Cat Ly has resumed her singing career with as much or even more success as before.

 

 

 

 

 

CREW

 

Lam Nguyen (Producer)

  Lam Nguyen was born in Vinh Long, Viet Nam where he grew up until his family moved to the United States in 1989. In 1996, he won the Student Emmy Award® and the Chicago International Award for his short film Nostalgic. One of the founders of NonLa Films, Nguyen has directed over 40 music videos and produced for Van Son Entertainment since 1996. In 1999, he joined the Club o'Noodles Theatre Group, where he met Ham Tran and produced Ham's M.F.A thesis film The Anniversary, which has won over 25 international awards, in addition to being on the top 10 list for the 2004 Academy Awards®. As a young producer, Nguyen says, "It's important for me to make Journey From the Fall because the new generation of Vietnamese youth must remember where they came from and why. Journey is a historical film that needs to be told to the world."

 

 

 

 

Ham Tran (Writer/Director)

  Born in Saigon, Ham Tran immigrated to America with his parents through the Orderly Departure Program in 1982. His explorations in playwriting, prose, poetry, music, drawing, painting, film and video became a journey to assemble new and lost history and culture.

Ham Tran recently graduated from UCLA with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film and Television, where his short films have won numerous accolades including the title of National Finalist for the Student Academy Awards® for two years in a row for his short films The Prescription and Pomegranate. Tran's thesis film The Anniversary won the prestigious USA Film Festival award for Best Short Film, which qualified the film for the 2004 Academy Awards® for Best Live Action Short

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guillermo Rosas (Cinematographer)

 

 A veteran Cinematographer, Guillermo Rosas' credits include the Academy Award® nominated film Before Night Falls. Based in Mexico, Rosas has worked with great directors from all over the world such as Peter Weir of, Master and Commander : The Far Side of the World; Tony Scott, Man on Fire; and James Cameron, Titanic. Rosas fell in love with Vietnam in 1979 when he was sent by the Mexican government as a cameraman to document their Food Relief Expedition. It is out of this love that he returned to Vietnam to shoot Ham Tran' s thesis film, The Anniversary. The new found collaboration lead to several more awards in cinematography. Rosas returns to create an even more stunning installment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julie Kirkwood (Cinematographer)

 

  After earning her degree in still photography from the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, Kirkwood began her career in the film industry as a camera assistant on low and big budget features as well as national commercials. After a few years of commuting to Los Angeles for work, she got tired of sleeping on friends' couches and made the move down. One of the first films she shot, Abigail Severance's Come Nightfall, was selected to screen at Sundance in 2002. Since then she has shot several other award-winning films including End of A Dog directed by John Morgan; and Jenn Kao's Outside, which aired on Showtime in 2004. It was Kirkwood's work on Outside that caught Director Ham Tran's eye and was the reason he chose to collaborate with her on Journey from the Fall .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tommy Twoson and Mona Nahm (Production Designers - Thailand/USA)

 

  Born in Bankok, Thailand Mona Nahm immigrated to the United States in 1983. Finally making her way back to Bankok after ten years, it was a trip that became the start of a six-year obsession with the Thai film industry.

Nahm directed Be Very Quiet which won Best Short 2004 at the Silverlake Film Festival. It has also been selected for many festivals including Bangkok International Film Festival, 29th Cleveland International Film Festival, and 10th International Women's Film Festival in Dortmund, Germany.The growing attention from the short film introduced Nahm to Oxide Pang, director of The Eye who brought her back to Thailand to direct her first feature, The Remaker - which is scheduled for release in 2005.

Aside from directing, Nahm fell in love with production design. Nahm has designed over twenty shorts, a commercial, and two music videos for Warner Brothers. Recently Nahm returned to Thailand to finish the post-production on The Remaker.   During her trip the tsunami tragedy struck Southeast Asia. Since then she has been volunteering in the relief effort and is currently making a documentary on the recovery of the hardest hit village in Thailand, Ban Nam Kem Village.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bao Tranchi (Costume Designer)

 

   A Refugee boat girl is just one facet of who Bao Tranchi is. As a child, Bao watched her mother slave away in the garment district sweatshops and vowed to conquer the very industry that was suppressing her mother's spirit.

She entered Otis College of Art & Design- finishing top of her class. Immediately Tranchi began working on films, Charlie's Angels, Queen of the Damned , and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. In 2001, Tranchi became Head Designer of the Henry Duarte store at Sunset Plaza. She also worked on the Madonna Drowned World Tour as well as music videos for Janet Jackson and Destiny's Child. Tranchi launched her own clothing line with partner, Jack Atlantis. The line debuted for the Spring 2004 fashion show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Smashbox Studios with sweeping reviews. She gathered immediate attention from magazines such as Vogue and W. Bao Tranchi's celebrity clients include Steven Tyler, Selma Hayek, Naomi Watts, Kelly Clarkson, Bai Ling, Daryl Hannah and Jaime Pressley. Her clothes have been seen on the red carpets of the Oscars®, the Grammys®, the Golden Globe Awards®, the BET awards, Soul Train Music Awards, and the MTV Music Awards.

 

 

 

 

 

Gordon Banh (Hair/Makeup Artist)

 

 “This film has great meaning to me andmy family” Gordon explains. At the age of four Gordon Banh, a Vietnameserefugee, came by boat to the U.S. One of four siblings, Gordon has always been drawn to the arts. As a young boy he loved sketching and painting. Naturally through the years, his artistic abilities led him to a degree in fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Designing and Merchandising (FIDM).

Gordon later studied on scholarship at Westmore Academy of Cosmetic Arts. He is currently an instructor at Westmore Academy teaching avant-garde make-up. With fifteen years of experience in film, television, music videos, advertising, and commercials, Gordon Banh is a very recognizable name in the Vietnamese entertainment industry. He is involved in many music productions like Thuy Nga Paris by Night, Asia, and Van Son. His major ad campaigns include Nissan, Sony, Michelob Beer, Lamps Plus, BBOXcosmetics, Blockbuster Video, and Kawasaki Motors. Gordon’s celebrity clients include Wayne Brady, Lisa Ling, and Narai.

“This film is more than just a job.” Gordon says. “It’s a way for me to help tell a visual story with make-up, of the human conditions and sufferings of the Vietnamese boat refugees.”

 

 

 

 

 

Christopher Wong (Music Composer)

 Christopher Wong received his B.A. in music with a specialization in composition from UCLA in 1998. While at UCLA, Wong studied music theory with Roger Bourland and orchestration and composition with Paul Reale, who was a mentor to film composers James Horner and Christopher Young. During the last quarter of his studies, Wong was selected to study privately with Academy Awards® winning composer Jerry Goldsmith.

Christopher Wong has composed the musical score for three feature films, eleven short films, commercials, theatrical film trailers, and documentaries--including Ham Tran's The Anniversary. In addition to film, Wong has written three musical theater scores--with a fourth on the way. Christopher Wong is also currently sketching a violin concerto with solo performances by violinist Nicole Garcia.

 

 

 

James Berek (Sound Designer)

 

 James Berek began his career in sound as a foley artist, working on the Cartoon Network's Time Squad and continued onto many feature films and commercials. In 2001, Berek founded the company HearFilm, located inHollywood, California. HearFilm has provided production sound for numerous commercials, including McDonalds, Sprint Long Distance, Puma, Valvoline and many more. Berek has also provided complete packages for many award winning short films including two-time Student Academy Awards® nominee, Ham Tran’s The Anniversary. Berek also produced and supervised the score for Jason Allen’s The Lift, winner of the Gold Award for best live action short at the Houston WorldFest.