The film was also shown in many international film festivals , including the 1983 Cannes Film Festival . Many international critics found the film powerful , including Serge Daney in '' Libération '' , Lawrence O'Toole in '' Motion Picture Review '' , and David Denby in '' New York Magazine '' . At the New York Film Festival , it elicited unusual attention because of its perceived political content ( unlike the usual kung-fu Hong Kong films that Western audiences were accustomed to ) and high production value . Richard Corliss of Time Magazine wrote " l ike any movie ... with a strong point of view , '' Boat People '' is propaganda " , and that " t he passions '' Boat People '' elicits testify ... to Hui 's skills as a popular film maker . " Janet Maslin in '' The New York Times '' observed that Hui " manipulates her material astutely , and rarely lets it become heavy-handed " and that scenes in the film " feel like shrewdly calculating fiction rather than reportage . " However , many critics at the New York Film Festival criticised the film 's political content , such as J. Hoberman , Renée Shafransky , and Andrew Sarris , all writing in '' The Village Voice '' . They objected to what they saw as the one-sided portrayal of the Vietnamese government and the lack of historical perspective . Some others found it politically simplistic and sentimental
1983 Cannes Film Festival
1983 Cannes Film Festival
Boat People (film)