Precious Cargo : Vietnamese adoptees discover their past

Resource Information

The work Precious Cargo : Vietnamese adoptees discover their past represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Waubonsee Community College. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Moving Image, Visual Materials.

Label

Precious Cargo : Vietnamese adoptees discover their past

Title remainder

Vietnamese adoptees discover their past

Statement of responsibility

directed & co-produced by Janet Gardner, Co-produced by Phạm, Quổc Thái

Creator

• Gardner, Janet

Contributor

• Phạm, Thái Quổc

Subject

• Adopted children -- Vietnam
• Documentary films
• History
• Intercountry adoption -- United States
• Intercountry adoption -- Vietnam
• Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Social aspects -- United States
• Adopted children -- United States

Genre

• Documentary films

Language

eng

Summary

When the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam in 1975, one of its last acts was the dramatic transport of 2,800 South Vietnamese children into American homes almost overnight. This film reveals the complex story of Operation Babylift. For the military it seemed like a final act of redemption; to the Hanoi government, a propaganda ploy; and for most Americans, a final compassionate gesture in a war they wanted to forget. Those least able to forget are the babies -- now in their mid-20s to early 30s. A small group of them met each other for the first time, bonded, and journeyed back to Vietnam. Raised in relative affluence, they confront the overcrowding and poverty as well as the beauty and culture of their homeland, wrestling with their identity and complex feelings of loss and gratitude, connection and detachment. Seeking clues to their past, none blame their mothers for giving them up for adoption, understanding how dangerous Vietnam was at the time. The program includes an exclusive interview with the pilot and chief flight nurse of the first flight which tragically crashed shortly after takeoff, casting a shadow over Operation Babylift. Also featured are the pioneering adoptive parents of the 1970s who embraced these biracial and sometimes handicapped children as their own. They began a movement that has grown to redefine the American family. A closed captioned version is available on vhs only. Please specify when ordering Produced in association with the Independent Television Service (ITVS) with major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Awards note

• Chicago International Film Festival, 2002
• CINE Gold Eagle Award, 2002
• CINE Special Jury Award for News, Features and Public Affairs, 2002
• Sigma Delta Chi Award, the society of Professional Journalists, 2002

Cataloging source

VaAlASP

Characteristic

videorecording

Intended audience

For College; Adult audiences

Language note

This edition in English

Runtime

57

Target audience

general