Phetmany was born to Laotian family and raised in Vientiane , Laos . She began modeling after high school although modeling at the time meant representing Laotian culture and strong values rather than selling clothes . As Laos began to open up to the outside world , she found it difficult to secure bookings as Laotian people preferred light skinned models . She persisted and eventually succeeded in modeling and then as a pop star , TV personality , and actress in commercials . In 2016 , she was cast in the lead role in '' Nong Hak '' ( Lao : ນ້ອງຮັກ ) which was released as '' Dearest Sister '' in English , directed by Mattie Do . '' Dearest Sister '' was selected as the Laotian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards , the first time that Laos has submitted a film for consideration in this category
90th Academy Awards
90th Academy Awards
Vilouna Phetmany