Director/Producer/Editor | 2019 | Feature Documentary | 68 mins
In 1979, a Vietnamese refugee shoots and kills a white crab fisherman at the public town docks in Seadrift, TX. What began as a dispute over fishing territory erupts into violence and ignites a maelstrom of boat burnings, KKK intimidation, and other hostilities against Vietnamese refugees along the Gulf Coast.
Set during the early days of Vietnamese arrival in the U.S., SEADRIFT is a feature documentary that examines the circumstances that led up to the shooting and its dramatic aftermath, and reveals the unexpected consequences that continue to reverberate today.
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For public screenings and educational/institutional use, please visit FIRST RUN FEATURES
“Riveting” – Clifford Pugh, Houston Chronicle
“Salient and universal… an insightful fable for our own troubling times.”– Nina Li Coomes, Chicago Reader
“Electrifying, long overdue” – Rose Cahalan, Texas Observer
“A powerful contemporary resonance simmers beneath the surface” – Todd Jorgenson, D-Magazine
Awards include:
- Austin Asian American Film Festival – Audience Award
- Boston Asian American Film Festival – Audience Award
- Dallas International Film Festival – Best Historical Film
- DisOrient Asian American Film Festival – Audience Award
- Houston AAPI Film Festival – Best Feature Documentary
- Houston Film Critics Society – Texas Visionary Award
- Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival – Best N. American Feature Documentary
- Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival – Audience Award
- Rockport Film Festival – Best Feature Documentary
- Immigration Film Festival (Washington DC) – Best Feature Documentary
- Indie & Foreign Film Festival (New York) – Best Feature Documentary, Migrant Center Award
- Viet Film Festival – Spotlight Award
Broadcasted and streamed on PBS and the WORLD Channel as part of Reel South Season 5 (2020) and Season 7 (2022).
Supported by: Austin Film Society, Center for Asian American Media, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, City of Austin Cultural Arts, Firelight Media, Humanities Texas, and ITVS.