BOAT PEOPLE

Internationally acclaimed director Ann Hui was born in Northeast China in 1947 and educated in Hong Kong where she received master's degrees in English and comparative literature. After two years at the London Film School, Hui returned to Hong Kong and produced and directed a number of TV dramas and documentaries before making her first feature film in 1979. BOAT PEOPLE is her fourth film, a prequel to her “The Story Of Woo Viet” (1981) about a Vietnam refugee. Screened as a “film surprise” in Cannes and Montreal, BOAT PEOPLE has stirred controversy, particularly among leftists who denounced the film as revisionist propaganda. Hui calls her film “a screen adaptation of collected stories from refugees meant to stir or move viewers” and denies any intent to sway political views. Insightful and shocking, BOAT PEOPLE focuses on the misery of post-war Vietnamese society, emphasizing the effects of war on the children. A Japanese photojournalist is invited by the Vietnamese Cultural Dept. for a second visit to their country to record the strides made in the New Economic Zones. The life he is shown seems rosy, but he soon discovers the brutal and oppressive conditions that exist beneath the propaganda. The horror-filled lives of a young girl and her family exemplify the Boat People's desperation. “Outstanding, sensitive and serious. . .a memorable and artistic piece. . .a cinematic gem. Intelligently conceived, researched, scripted, motivated and acted.” – Variety