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| Narrated by | Thao Lam |
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Running time | 9 minutes |
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Boat People is a 2023 Canadian animated short film written and directed by Thao Lam and Kjell Boersma. [1]
Adapted from Lam's 2020 book The Paper Boat, the nine-minute film centres on the experiences of Vietnamese refugees, called "boat people", who fled Vietnam through the sea at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. [2]
As a child in Vietnam, Thao's mother would rescue ants from bowls of sugar water—a small act of compassion that later took on new meaning. Boat People is an animated documentary that uses this metaphor to explore one family's experience navigating the challenges of their historical journey.
The film premiered in April 2023 at the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film.
In 2024 it was selected for broadcast on PBS's POV Shorts series in the United States, [3] and was selected as a Staff Pick on Vimeo. [4]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
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| New Orleans Film Festival | 2023 | Helen Hill Award for Animated Short | Thao Lam, Kjell Boersma | Won | [3] |
| Audience Award for Animated Short | Won | ||||
| Chicago International Children's Film Festival | 2023 | Milos Stehlik Global Impact Award | Won | ||
| Spark Animation Festival | 2023 | Diversity Award | Won | [5] | |
| Calgary International Film Festival | 2023 | Grand Jury Prize – Animated Short | Won | [6] | |
| Canadian Film Festival | 2024 | Best Animated Short | Won | [7] |
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