“Long Thanh Wants to Smile”, a German documentary on dioxin victims in Vietnam, has been nominated for this year Emmy Awards in the Current Affairs and News category. Made by Philipp Abresch, Singapore bureau chief of German broadcaster ARD, the 28-minute documentary tells the story of people who were unprotected against Agent Orange/dioxin, a highly toxic defoliant containing dioxin that was used by the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War which ended in 1975. The documentary highlights pains that last for generations though the war has ended for 40 years. Vietnamese victims still suffer from the aftereffects of the chemical, including 15-year-old Long Thanh. However, he manages to lead a life in an admirable way despite numerous difficulties like some 4.8 million Vietnamese people live with the effects of the herbicide. Eight nominees for the award were from six countries namely Brazil, Germany, Malaysia, Qatar, Russia, UK, and Vietnam. The winners will be announced September 21 at a ceremony in New York. Earlier at the 2016 Oscar, a documentary featuring a young victim of Agent Orange by U.S. director Courtney Marsh was among five nominees in the short documentary category. Titled “Chau, Beyond the Lines”, the documentary explores how Le Minh Chau realized his dream despite being born with birth defects due to Agent Orange (AO). The film features a teenager living in a Vietnamese care center for kids disabled by the chemical AO, battles with the reality of his dream to one day become a professional artist. (Thanh Nien – Young People Aug 15, Lao Dong – Labor Aug 15)
