On Healing Land,
Birds Perch

a short documentary film

ON

HEALING

LAND 

A short documentary that tells the remarkable stories behind one of the most iconic photos in history, while acting as a portal into the “varied carols,” to borrow from Walt Whitman, of trauma and the American journey. This is the first documentary, from a Vietnamese born filmmaker that explores the continuing aftershocks of the Vietnam War from the perspectives of both sides of the war: North Vietnamese and South Vietnamese including Vietnamese Americans alive today. The story is told through the iconic Pulitzer winning photo of General Loan shooting a Communist Vietcong, Captain Lem in the head on the second day of the 1968 Tet Offensive. With original interviews, these individuals -- the daughter of the executioner, the children of the executed, and the son whose family was allegedly killed by the executed and his men, prior to his execution - share for the first time on camera the intense emotions this photo elicits even today and the impact it has had on their lives. While these individuals hold widely differing views on this photo, the film poignantly portrays that all have something in common: the lasting trauma from the War.

Naja Pham Lockwood, who escaped from Vietnam in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War and now makes Utah her home, is directing a short documentary.

On Healing Land looks at the traumas of the Vietnam War through the lens of one of the most iconic Pulitzer Prize winning photographs which defined the Vietnam War called Saigon Execution. The film searches out the children of those involved in the photo and through a Vietnamese and Vietnamese American perspective takes us on a journey where healing is possible. 

Special Thanks


On behalf of the entire team of On Healing Land, Birds Perch, I want to express my sincere gratitude to our Utah community of supporters listed below. Utah is a State that has embraced and continues to embrace refugees throughout its history. Thank you for your support
of this important film.
       
Larry H. Miller and Gail Miller Family Foundation
Scott Anderson and Zions Bank
Jim and Susan Swartz
Wagner Charitable Foundation
Kieu Frisby
Goldman Sachs
KTC Fund/Park City Community Foundation
George S. And Delores Doré Eccles Foundation
University of Utah