going", criticizing the "careless cinematography" and "clumsy stag[ing]". Response from Vietnamese diaspora An early cut of the film was screened in April 2005 in sold-out one-day-only showings in Little Saigon, Washington, D.C., and San Jose to commemorate the 30 year anniversary of the Fall of Saigon. The film was highly praised by the Vietnamese diaspora as an accurate presentation of the experiences that many Vietnamese people had to go through. In the process of making the film, the director interviewed more than 400 former boat people, some of whom are cast in the film even though they are not professional actors. Awards Grand Jury Prize – Amazonas International Film Festival, Brazil Winner, Best Feature Film – Anchorage International Film Festival Winner, Best Cinematography – Milano International Film Festival Winner, Long Nguyen, Best Actor – Newport Beach Film Festival Special Jury Prize – Newport Beach Film Festival Audience Award – San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival Grand Jury Award – San Diego Asian Film Festival Jury Award – Dallas Asian Film Festival Winner, Ham Tran, Best Director – Asian Festival of First Film Winner, Lam Nguyen, Best Producer – Asian Festival of First Film Audience Award – Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival Special Project Award – The Princess Grace Foundation, USA Best Feature Film – Boulder International Film Festival Winner, Best Feature Film – Vietnamese International Film Festival Best Independent Film – Asian Excellence Award The film was not eligible for competition in the Sundance Film Festival even though it was an official selection because it was screened prior at a Korean film festival (only world premieres of films at Sundance are eligible for competition). Controversies The OC Weekly, an alternative weekly in Orange County, California, published two reviews of the film. The first and longer review was written by R. Scott Moxley, praised the director for "bring[ing] to life the true South Vietnamese experience". The second and much shorter review was published almost a year later, written by Scott Foundas. In his review, Foundas praised the film for being "one of the few movies to depict Vietnam and its aftermath through the eyes of the Vietnamese" but ultimately characterized it as "old-fashioned and even phony". This conclusion brought a flurry of letters to the paper, most disagreeing with Foundas and taking offense at his "phony" characterization, prompting Foundas to clarify his review, claiming that he was "by no