World Premiere

USA/Philippines 2007 | 58 mins | DigiBeta | English, Vietnamese, Tagalog w/E.S.

Like the millions of Vietnamese who fled their homeland, Duc Nguyen and his family left Vietnam aboard a boat in 1980 in a desperate attempt to escape persecution. They were at sea for over four days before a U.S. Navy ship picked them up. “Why did I survive while so many others did not?” is the question that drives his debut documentary BOLINAO 52, which uncovers the truth about one notoriously ill-fated boat of refugees.

The boat now referred to as the “Bolinao” carried more than a hundred people away from Vietnam. On their first day at sea they encountered a storm; when it passed, their engine failed and they began to drift. Ten days into their journey, a Japanese freighter passed them by. Later a U.S. Navy ship, the U.S.S. Dubuque, found them, but ultimately ended up deserting them as well. Adrift at sea for 37 days, the boat was finally saved when a group of Filipino fishermen from a village called Bolinao finally took it to shore. Out of 110 passengers that began the voyage, only 52 survived.

Nguyen discovers one survivor willing to talk, Tung Trinh. Telling her story as if she’s lifting a burden, Trinh delivers an animated and emotional account of what happened. Mixing her personal account with Nguyen’s evocative depiction of the time, BOLINAO 52 creates a reservoir to preserve the memories, tragedies and choices of those faced with unimaginable circumstances.