On Healing Land, Birds Perch looks at the traumas of the Vietnam War through the lens of one of the most iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs, which defined the Vietnam War, called Saigon Execution. The film searches out the children of those involved in the photo and through a Vietnamese and Vietnamese American perspective takes us on a journey where healing is possible.

This is the first documentary, from a Vietnamese-born filmmaker that explores the continuing aftershocks of the Vietnam War from the perspectives of both sides of the war: North Vietnamese and South Vietnamese including Vietnamese Americans alive today. The story is told through the iconic Pulitzer-winning photo of General Loan shooting a Communist Vietcong, Captain Lem in the head, two days after the 1968 Tet Offensive. With original interviews, these individuals — the daughter of the General Loan, the children of the executed Captain Lem, and the son whose family was allegedly killed by the executed and his men, prior to his execution — share for the first time on camera the intense emotions this photo elicits even today and the impact it has had on their lives. While these individuals hold widely differing views on this photo, the film poignantly portrays that all have something in common: the lasting trauma from the War.

This program is open to all eligible individuals. USC Annenberg operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.

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