("A War No One Wins")
Written by JOHN TRINH to dedicate to all the victims of Agent Orange
Synopsis:
“AGENT ORANGE: 30 YEARS LATER” is a drama-documentary about the victims of Agent Orange 30 years after the Viet Nam War.
Agent Orange is the code name for the major herbicide that was used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War to deny coverage (trees and bushes) of the North Vietnamese guerrilla soldiers.
The film tells the story of several victims of Agent Orange - from the North to the South of Viet Nam - who were exposed to the substance when it was sprayed during the war. It interweaves compelling interviews with images culled from the archives to tell the tales of horror of people, from babies to grandparents, male and female, North and South Viet Nam living with life-altering choices to make: pro-life or abortion, alien diseases, deformities, fear, loneliness, suicidal thoughts, pain, and poverty. It is more of a drama than a reportage, or an observation.
The goal of this documentary is to make the viewers aware of the impact of dioxin on the environment and the people. The film also underscores the need for compassion and heightens a sense of responsibility for our actions towards each other as stewards of the planet without regard for political differences.
Film Statement:
“I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Filmmaker Bio:
John Trinh, a member of the International Documentary Association in Los Angeles (IDA), produced and directed his first documentary film entitled “Agent Orange: 30 Years Later” ("A War No One Wins").
The film, submitted for the first time to the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, was officially selected and showed in Los Angeles in December/2008. The film earned top award "Best Documentary". ITN Distribution took it to Cannes Film Market (CFM) in May/2009. In February 2009, the film was shown at the "Cultural Innovation" private screening at Disney in Glendale and Pasadena (CA), New York, and London. In April 2009, the film has earned a Gold Remi award at the 42nd WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. The film was also an official selection at Griffon International Film Festival in St. Joseph, Missouri (4/2009), Reel Earth-Environmental Film Festival in Palmerston North, New Zealand (5/2009), Philadelphia Independent Film Festival in Philadelphia, PA (6/2009), Action On Film International Film Festival in Pasadena, CA (7/2009), and the Kansas International Film Festival in Overland Park, Kansas (9/2009). Starting in July/2009, Reel Earth will tour the film to venues in the Metropolitan and Regional centers around New Zealand. On the 10th of August/2009,
Viet Nam Television VTV4 showed the film twice as the “most important film” of
the national Orange Day program. On the 12th of August 2009, John
Trinh was invited by The Ford Foundation to serve as a panelist to present the
film and discuss issues on Agent Orange: The Human Health and Environmental
Echoes of War at the AAJA’s 20th annual national convention in Boston,
MA.
In September 2009, the film received an "Award of Excellence" for feature documentary from The Accolade Competition - an international respected award honoring outstanding achievement in film, television and videography. At the 18th Annual Hot Springs
Documentary Film Festival --"one of the first and the oldest documentary film festivals in the world (second only to Amsterdam) and one of only seven national Academy Award qualifying venues", the film was shown twice as one of the "key films" of the festival on the 20th and 22nd of October/2009.
At the International Independent Film Festival CamboFest in Kampot, Cambodia (12/2009), the film has won a "Grabay Meas" (Golden Buffalo) award for feature documentary. In February 2010, the film was screened at the Cultural Centers in Montpellier, Creteil, and Paris 13, France.
John Trinh received his training from the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. He has worked for major companies such as Mattel as a Senior Designer and Disney as a digital artist. His personal work has been exhibited world-wide--International Contemporary Masters book (Vol.III), and garnered numerous awards nationally, "National Artist of Distinction Award" of the National Alliance for Excellence in New York in 1997 as one example.
Reviews:
- “The film was artistically photographed and edited,….” by Jan Turetsky, L.A. Mentary: The Greater Los Angeles Area Mensa (1/2009)
- "Despite the horror, the film is at times intensely moving and beautiful, showing also the better side of human nature—qualities like kindness, compassion, and forgiveness." by Reel Earth - Environmental Film Festival (4/2009)
- "The film was stark, powerful and very effective. Courageous to go to those most deeply affected, look into their eyes, and explore the depths of their pain. We were deeply moved." by Alice and Lincoln Day, Producers of "Scarred Lands and Wounded Lives" (6/2009)
- "Agent Orange: 30 Years Later wrenches and outrages, as it must." by Alan Scherstuhl, The Pitch, Kansas City, MO (9/2009)
- "Agent Orange: 30 Years Later is crudely made but the sobering subject matter, and Trinh's sensitivity for the victims on all sides of the conflict make it worth catching." by Dan Lybarger, Metro Kansas City News & Entertainment, www.kcactive.com
Future screenings:
To be announced.
More info on Agent Orange:
- http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/