American Experience - Daughter from Danang (2002)

Synopsis: Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, DAUGHTER FROM DANANG follows an adopted American woman who gets more than she bargained for when she is... Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, DAUGHTER FROM DANANG follows an adopted American woman who gets more than she bargained for when she is reunited with her birth mother. One of thousands of Vietnamese children who were separated from their families and flown to America to live in 1975 (the government called the project "Operation Babylift"), Heidi Bub has grown up to become a full-blooded American. However, the urge to reunite with her birth mother has never faded, triggering a search twenty-two years later that is shockingly successful. Pretty soon, Heidi's on a flight to Vietnam, headed for an electrifyingly emotional reunion with her mother. As the days wear on, Mai Thi Kim's childlike dependence begins to put an unexpected emotional strain on Heidi, and when her siblings confront her with what Heidi deems to be a totally inappropriate plea for help, the discomfort and stress overwhelms her completely. Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco's film is a heartbreaking tale that is at times almost unbearable to watch. Proving that culture has more to do with the shaping of an individual than innate physical characteristics, DAUGHTER FROM DANANG also works as a reminder to viewers that one should be careful what they wish for. [More]

Starring: Heidi Bub, Mai Thi Kim

Starring: Heidi Bub, Mai Thi Kim

Director: Gail Dolgin, Vicente Franco

Director: Gail Dolgin, Vicente Franco
Producer: Gail Dolgin

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