When American college students think of Vietnam, they probably still think of Robin Williams in Good Morning, Vietnam.
Or, most likely, images of Forrest Gump and Lieutenant Dan come to mind. We think of draft-dodging hippies and of protesters walking out of school to sing peaceful songs with flowers in their hair.
As Americans, Vietnam is immortalized by America's involvement in the war of the 1960s and '70s.
ASU's Program for Southeast Asian Studies, though, wants us to take off the red, white and blue-colored glasses and view the countries of Southeast Asia through local eyes.
The program is in the middle of its fall annual film series. Outreach coordinator Esther Sianipar says that exposing the campus community to different interpretations of the culture on the other side of the world is part of the goals of the 4-year-old series.
"We want to promote the awareness and diversity of Southeast Asian culture, people, political history and humanities and promote it to the ASU community and general public," she says.
The program wants us to see Southeast Asian countries through the eyes of someone like Mui, a Vietnamese servant girl and the protagonist of The Scent of Green Papaya, the next film in the series to be shown tonight in PSF-166. The film is set in Vietnam, beginning in 1951 when Mui is 10 years old.
Mui finds beauty in things that most people don't think to appreciate, like the subtle scent of green papaya. The quiet, meditative film was nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign film in 1994.
The film eventually turns into a love story, but most importantly, it's a story of life in Southeast Asia.
Which is exactly the type of film Sianipar thinks ASU students need to see. The films' story lines range from love to violence, human rights to daily life, she says. Most important is that the films have the ability to educate.
"I want to maintain and increase appreciation of the area," she adds. "I don't look for themes, just story lines."
Sianipar says she selected films for the series based on their messages about the national origins of Southeast Asia, the countries' roots and the people's lives, but that she tried to select only contemporary films.
"We want to attract a younger audience," she says. "Every year we're adding several titles. We're expanding our collection of movies."
Sianipar adds that though the series is half over, there are still plenty of available seats. Newcomers may have missed this year's first featured film, Jose Rizal (it was shown in two parts on Sept. 5 and 12) but there are still two films left in the series.
Following The Scent of Green Papaya, the last film scheduled in the series is a 1997 Thai movie titled Satang. It relates how attitudes toward life and money in Thailand have changed since the 1997 economic crisis. It will be shown on Sept. 26.
"It's a fascinating history," she says. "Most of the Southeast Asian countries were colonized. They went through revolutions and wars. So in history there is still local as well as Western influence. Also in the culture, religion, food and infrastructure of the countries' development. It's a mixture.
"I invite students to come and to appreciate a different culture, one that's not well-represented."
Reach the reporter at sara.thorson@asu.edu.
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The Southeast Asian Fall Annual Film Series, “Bringing Southeast Asia to You,” sponsored by the Program for Southeast Asian Studies and the Students' Association for Southeast Asia. Bateman Physical Science Building F, Room 166. Tonight, The Scent of Green Papaya, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, Satang, at 7 p.m. |
