The Queen from Virginia: The Jackie Bong Wright Story
Best Documentary Feature Jury Prize VC Filmfest 2006: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
From Vietnam War refugee to beauty queen, The Queen from Virginia profiles the journey of Jackie Bong Wright as she competes in the week-long Ms. Senior America national pageant. Created in 1972, Ms. Senior America is a beauty pageant for women over 60 that “searches for the gracious lady who best exemplifies the dignity, maturity, and inner beauty of all senior Americans.” Spanning the course of one week, this documentary takes a behind-the-scenes look at Jackie’s experience as she competes in this unique pageant. From the first rehearsal to the final coronation, the film reveals the strength and spirit of a woman who has rebuilt her life in America after surviving personal tragedies suffered from the Vietnam War. Jackie enters the pageant as the first Asian-American Ms. Virginia Senior America and the first Vietnamese-American to ever compete in the national pageant. With perspectives from family members, other contestants, and pageant organizers, this documentary also provides exclusive insight into the world of senior pageantry.
“Success is not how high and fast you reach the top, but how high and fast you bounce back when you hit bottom.” -Jackie Bong Wright
Watch "The Queen From Virginia" Trailer
Director’s Statement
As a girl-crazy teenager, I always wanted to meet a beauty queen, but I never thought she would be my 64-year-old aunt. Growing up, all I really knew about Jackie Bong Wright was that she was my aunt from Virginia. When she visited us in California every couple of years, my interactions with her were generally as follows: I’d come out of my room, bow and say “Chào Bác” to her, and return to my room. Later, as a teenager, I would add a few extra phrases to this exchange such as “School’s fine,” “I’m (insert age) now,” or “I’m (insert height) tall.” It’s funny how you can know a person your entire life, but not actually know them at all. I never really knew who my Aunt Jackie was, until I decided to document her one-week experience at the Ms. Senior America pageant. Through the process of making The Queen from Virginia, I was fortunate enough to discover the depth of the human experience. Although I refer to Jackie Bong Wright as my aunt, I soon realized that she was known to others as a war survivor, former refugee, journalist, community activist, and now a state beauty queen. For Aunt Jackie, the Ms. Senior America pageant was more than a competition. Instead, it symbolized the complexity of her life which I never fully realized; a complexity that is shared by her fellow state queens. The 27 state queens who competed alongside Aunt Jackie at the Ms. Senior America pageant all have a diverse array of roles they have played in their lives. With each role, these women approach their experiences with an energetic spirit that is infectious and inspiring. As Ms. D.C. told us during the shoot, “I don’t see myself as old, just older.” The effects of aging upon Jackie Bong Wright and her peers at the pageant have only increased their zest to live actively. Despite the various trials and tribulations in their histories, these women live in the present and continually add to the depth of their already rich lives. I was lucky enough to assemble a team of talented filmmakers, all of whom hope to share the intriguing journey of Jackie Bong Wright and her experience at the Ms. Senior America pageant with audiences all across America.
David Ngo
Writer/Director
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