Over five million Vietnamese and 58 000 Americans died in what one side calls the American War and the other side calls the Vietnam War. Whilst countless stories have been told from the American point of view, very little has been heard from the Vietnamese side.

The Face of the Enemy is a documentary project that tells the story of the Vietnamese who fought in the American war, in their own words. In the film and installation veterans and their families have the chance, often for the first time, to recall the experiences that transformed and changed their lives. The project is built from over 150 hours of filmed interviews. The addition of rare archive footage and personal photos of the veterans themselves aids the attempt to chart a new perspective on one of the most decisive conflicts in modern history.

The project focuses more on personal stories than on the chronological events of the war. What did the Vietnamese feel when they joined the army? When they first arrived at the front? How did they see their comrades? The enemy? Their families back at home? How did the families at home think of the men and the woman at the front?

Trailer

The Film

Directed photographed and produced by Erik Pauser / Producer Dylan Williams / Editor Clas Lindberg / Music JeanLouis Huhta  / Sound Ania Pauser, Nguyen Dinh Thien Y, Alan Hayslip / Additional photography Lars Siltberg / Location manager Nguyen Dinh Thien Y / Sound design Ove Valeskog Studio Snickeboa / Colorgrading and online Lars Siltberg, Henrik Lago / Postproduction facilities/ Presentationsdesign Cinepost studios / Translation Tue Nguyen Dinh, Thien Y, Thao Jörgenssen, Tran Thi Ha, Vu Tuan Anh, Nguyen Than Huong, Huonh Thi Than Nguyen, Pham Cong Phoung.

Produced by Brandklipparen Amp film  / A coproduction with SVT – Axel Arnö / With support from The Swedish Film Institute – Hjalmar Palmgren / The Swedish Arts Grants Committee / YLE – Iikka Vekhalati / DR – Mette Hoffman / Längmanska Kulturfonden / Helge Ax:son Johnsons stiftelse

Archive: SVT / Doan Thi Cong / The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) / Vietnam Film institute / Larry Nibble Archives / Caprice record.

Web Project

Producer Erik Pauser / Design Mats Renvall / Programming Nils Ola Nilsson / Site curators Erik Pauser, Sophie Holgersson, Ana Valdés / The webproject is supported by Framtidens kultur / Production company Brandklipparen.

Source : The Face of the Enemy, a Documentary Project

See also Story tellers gallery with:

Christian Langworthy
Cu Chi commander – Tran Van Thuan
Doctor Pham Duong and his wife Truong Thi Ngoc Lan and their son Lam
Female Guerilla Fighters – Mrs. Tran Thi Nho, Mrs. Dang Thi Huong, Mrs. Le Thi Suong
Mrs Vo Thi Tram
Le Ly Hayslip
Mr. Do Duc Diu. Former soldier in the regular North Vietnamese army
Mr Diu: Hang – The daughter of Mr. Diu
Mr Diu: Mrs. Pham Niec
Mr. Nguyen van Ma and his wife Do Thi Bich Canh
Doan Thi Cong
Bao Ninh
To Tien Hoa
Hoang Van Tinh
Nguyen Than
Mr. Tran Thi Vong and his wife
Hoang Dinh Phuong

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