Controversial Vietnamese film being considered for Oscars

By Madeline Shannon
The Center Square

A controversial Vietnamese film that depicts a long Vietnam War battle is under consideration for an Oscar nomination, according to California Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster.

Ta wrote a letter, dated Oct. 5, to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Beverly Hills-based organization that awards the Oscars during the televised ceremony in Hollywood. Ta asked that the film, “Red Rain,” not be considered for the Oscar category of Best International Feature Film. In the letter, Ta called “Red Rain” a piece of propaganda that “glorifies the Communist regime.”

“A lot of members of the Vietnamese American community are upset right now, along with many Vietnam veterans,” Ta told The Center Square. “The movie is produced by the Vietnamese Communist movement, and they really twist everything around. That’s an insult of the sacrifices of the American soldier and the South Vietnamese soldier who fought side by side in the Vietnam War.”

The film, which depicts the 1972 Battle of Quang Tri Citadel, was produced by the Vietnamese People’s Army Cinematography Unit, essentially making it a propaganda film, according to Ta.

The Alliance for Vietnam’s Democracy also called the film a “state-aligned production” and expressed concern that the film risked presenting a one-sided interpretation of the Vietnam War. Approximately 92 Vietnamese civil society organizations signed the letter written by the alliance, according to an Oct. 17 press release.

“Such recognition could marginalize other perspectives and experiences related to the Vietnam War,” the alliance said in the press release.

Ta told The Center Square Tuesday that the events surrounding the 1972 Battle of Quang Tri Citadel are misrepresented in the movie, skewing details of those 81 days in ways that favor the Communists.

“There are so many facts in the movie that are completely wrong,” Ta told The Center Square. “I want the Oscar committee to reject the movie.”

For the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category, each country is invited to submit its best film for consideration. Then all active and life members of the academy are invited to watch the submissions. The 15 films that receive the most votes advance to the next round of voting.

Only five of those 15 movies advance to become nominees, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Members then watch all five nominated films and vote for the winner, which is announced during the televised Oscars ceremony. The deadline to submit a country’s choice for Best International Feature Film was Oct. 1, according to the academy’s website. Preliminary voting is scheduled for Dec. 8-12, and the Oscars shortlist announcement will be made on Dec. 16.

Nomination voting goes from Jan. 12-16, and Oscar nominees will be announced the morning of Jan. 22. Voting for each category’s winners is scheduled for Feb. 26-March 5, and the 98th Oscars will be broadcast live on March 15 on ABC.

Representatives from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences did not respond to The Center Square’s requests for comment on Tuesday.

Some state lawmakers who sit on arts and entertainment-related committees were also unavailable on Tuesday, although Sen. Ben Allen, D-El Segundo and chair of the Senate Joint Committee on the Arts, said through a spokesperson that he hoped “that the process the Academy follows will nominate worthy creative showcases.”

Representatives from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans Against the War and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund did not respond to The Center Square on Tuesday.

“As a Vietnam veteran who fought overseas for freedom and democracy, I am deeply offended that this movie would be considered for a prestigious award,” said Ronnie Guyer, a Vietnam War veteran, in Ta’s Oct. 6 press release. “Many of us still carry the scars of the war, and 58,000 did not come home from Vietnam. Seeing our military service distorted into propaganda is shameful and insulting to every American and South Vietnamese soldier who answered the call to defend freedom.”