Wed, Apr 2 at 8:00pm: Post-screening discussion with Terry Vo, Metro Council member and partnerships director for Asian and Pacific Islanders of Middle Tennessee; and Ben Tran, associate professor of Asian studies and English at Vanderbilt University. At 7:00pm, ticket holders are invited to join API Middle Tennessee for a pre-screening mixer in the Belcourt's upstairs Jackson Education and Engagement Space | BUY TICKETS
Filmmaker Elizabeth Ai embarks on a journey to capture the vibrant spirit of a musical phenomenon that electrified Vietnamese American teens in the 1980s: New Wave. What begins as an exploration of the rebellion and freedom within this subculture evolves into a profound narrative of identity, loss and healing. In Orange County, California, the synth beats and punk/goth aesthetics provided a sanctuary for a generation of youth grappling with the weight of their parents’ unspoken traumas. As Elizabeth delves into the lives of her family members and icons of the New Wave scene, she discovers that beneath the surface lies a complex tapestry of broken dreams and unfulfilled expectations. These were not just fleeting moments of teenage rebellion, but acts of defiance against the lingering shadows of the Vietnam War and the sacrifices made by a generation trying to rebuild.
"Elizabeth Ai’s piercing and personal documentary…digs into the untold story of the chaos, the glitter and the glamour, happening among Vietnamese-Americans in Orange County at the end of the ’70s and into the ’80s.” —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire "The deeply sentimental lyrics and swoony keyboards became a vital escape hatch for Vietnamese American youth in the ’80s, some suffering from feelings of displacement, family troubles and the aftermath of war.” —Todd Inoue, San Francisco Chronicle "My favorite Tribeca music documentary was a homespun affair: Elizabeth Ai’s NEW WAVE, a soft scream of a film about ’80s Vietnamese diaspora culture and style." —Natalia Winkelman, New York Times
