Dear Friends:
We believe that "Amerasians," a new video release from The Cinema Guild, should be of interest to the readers
of your web site or the members of your organization. If you’d be interested in reviewing the video on your web
site, we’d be glad to send you VHS videocassettes.
You may also wish to provide a link to our web site (www.cinemaguild.com) from your site for those interested in
ordering copies of "Amerasians." Or if you’d be interested in selling this video from your own web site, please let
us know.
To request review copies, or for further information, please contact us at the office address below or via e-mail
at gcrowdus@cinemaguild.com.
We look forward to hearing from you.
"Amerasians"
The Vietnam War left not only bomb craters, forests destroyed by napalm, and vast numbers of casualties. The
war also left about 100,000 fatherless children—Amerasians, who, because of their appearance, became
outcasts from society. In 1988, after Congress passed the Amerasian Homecoming Act, Vietnamese youngsters
who could prove they had been fathered by an American were issued with a ticket to fly to the U.S., and granted
six months’ upkeep here. Overnight, society’s lowest ranks became "golden children" able to take a whole family
to the U.S. But proving one’s paternity wasn’t a simple matter. For many, all that was left were physical traits
suggesting American parentage and, with luck, an old photo of a father in uniform.
To date, 38,000 offspring have moved to the U.S., and this video introduces us to a number of Amerasians,
some who have moved, and others who are about to leave Vietnam. The reality that confronts them in the U.S.
can be a challenge. Even if their look is no longer a problem in the melting pot of American society, the culture
shock is considerable—language, food, culture—so much is strange to them, and they feel themselves to be
neither Vietnamese nor American. For the first time in their lives, they learn to be proud of themselves as
Amerasians.
Directed by Erik Gandini Color, 52 mins., VHS
Golden Gate Award San Francisco International Film Festival For review copies or further information, contact:
Gary Crowdus The Cinema Guild, Inc. 130 Madison Avenue, Second Floor, New York, NY 10016-7038 Phone
(212) 685-6242 l Toll-Free 1 (800) 723-5522 E-Mail gcrowdus@cinemaguild.com l Web Site www.cinemaguild.
com