Sad Song of Yellow Skin | |
---|---|
Directed by | Michael Rubbo |
Written by | Michael Rubbo |
Produced by | Tom Daly |
Narrated by | Michael Rubbo |
Cinematography | Martin Duckworth Pierre Letarte |
Edited by | Torben Schioler Michael Rubbo |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation / CBC Television |
Release date |
|
Running time | 58 min. |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
Budget | $72,484 (CAD) [1] |
Sad Song of Yellow Skin is a 1970 direct cinema-style documentary, produced by the National Film Board of Canada, on the effects of the Vietnam War on street children in Saigon. [2] [3]
Michael Rubbo had originally gone to Vietnam with the goal of making a documentary about the work of Foster Parents Plan with Vietnamese war orphans. Once there, when confronted with the enormity of what was taking place, he felt a film about this humanitarian operation was missing the real story. Rubbo's NFB producer, Tom Daly, supported him in his efforts to rethink the film. [4]
Rubbo met the film's through Dick Hughes, a young American who offered his apartment as a safe haven for street kids. Hughes was part of a group of American student journalists who adopted a New Journalism approach to covering the war—a highly personal and involved approach that would influence Rubbo's style in making this film. This group of young journalists included John Steinbeck IV. [4]
Rubbo recorded his own subjective observations in a diary and developed the idea for what would be the first of his self-reflexive documentaries with the NFB. In Sad Song of Yellow Skin, Rubbo often comments on his own actions within the film, expressing his doubts, fears and concerns, reminding the viewer they are watching a film and not an objective representation of reality. [3] [4]
The film had a budget of $72,484. [1]
Awards for Sad Song of Yellow Skin included a special Canadian Film Award and the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. [3] It was named best film over 30 minutes at the 1971 Melbourne Film Festival. [5]
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and alternative dramas. In total, the NFB has produced over 13,000 productions since its inception, which have won over 5,000 awards. The NFB reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. It has bilingual production programs and branches in English and French, including multicultural-related documentaries.
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