''Dust of Life'' (french: Poussières de vie) is a 1995 French
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Rachid Bouchareb
Rachid Bouchareb (born 1 September 1953) is a French film director and Film producer, producer. His films are based on the complex history of France and its relationship with its former colony, Algeria. His films also examine racial discriminati ...
. It was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
as an
Algerian submission.
The film is based on a true story, originally recounted in a novel by Duyen Anh.
Plot
The film takes place after
the end of Vietnam War. It tells the story of a Vietnamese boy, Son, born to a Vietnamese mother, and an
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
father who was fighting in the war but has since returned home to the USA. (The title 'Dust of Life' refers to the Vietnamese word for children of such mixed
Amerasian
An Amerasian may refer to a person born in Asia to an Asian mother and a U.S. military father. Other terms used include War babies or G.I. babies. There are also those who may have mothers in the U.S. military or have Amerasian ancestry through the ...
parentage.) Son is taken away from his mother and confined to a
labour camp
A labor camp (or labour camp, see spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons (especi ...
, where life is harsh and chances of release slim. Together with some other boys from the camp, Son attempts to escape.
Cast
* Daniel Guyant — Son
* Gilles Chitlaphone — Bob
* Jehan Pagès — Petit Haï
* Éric Nguyen — Un-Deux
* Leon Outtrabady — Shrimp
* Lina Chua — Son's mother
* R. Shukor Kader — Son's father
Accolades
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
*1996: Nominated, "Best Foreign Language Film"
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
*1995: Won, "Outstanding Youth Actor in a Foreign Film" - ''Daniel Guyant'' & ''Jehan Pagès''
See also
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References
External links
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1995 drama films
1995 films
German drama films
Belgian drama films
Hong Kong drama films
Algerian drama films
Films directed by Rachid Bouchareb
French drama films
1990s French-language films
1990s French films
1990s German films
1990s Hong Kong films
French-language Belgian films
French-language German films
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