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| Director and star: Emmy Award Nominee and director Philipp Abresch (left) of Long Thanh Will Lachen (Long Thanh Wants to Laugh), poses with 15-year-old Agent Orange victim Long Thanh who is the main character in his documentary.—Photo daserste.de |
Viet Nam News
HA NOI – A German documentary about an Agent Orange/dioxin victim in Viet Nam, Long Thanh Will Lachen (Long Thanh Wants to Laugh), is one of eight nominees for the News and Current Affairs category of this year’s Emmy Awards.
Directed by Philipp Abresch, who is currently Singapore Bureau Chief of the German-based public broadcaster ARD, the 28-minute film tell stories about people exposed to Agent Orange by the US army during the war in Viet Nam.
Forty years have passed since the war, and about three million Vietnamese are still living with the effects of the defoliant. Among 150,000 children with congenital malformations is 15-year-old Long Thanh, who has managed to live his life in an admirable way despite all the challenges he faces.
The documentary also reveals that Viet Nam has called on the US to take responsibility for the problem but the US Government has rejected direct links between Agent Orange and birth defects.
Long Thanh Will Lachen was aired on the ARD Channel one year ago.
That the film received the nomination just one day before Viet Nam’s Day for Agent Orange Victims on August 10 is a tribute to the suffering of generations of Vietnamese victims decades after the war.
The eight nominees span seven countries, including Brazil, Germany, Malaysia, Qatar, Russia, the UK and Viet Nam. The winners of the Emmy Awards will be announced in New York on September 21. An Emmy Award, or simply Emmy, recognises excellence in the television industry, and corresponds to an Academy Award (for film), a Tony Award (for theatre) or a Grammy Award (for music). – VNS
OVietnam