The Friendship Village
A documentary film
by Michelle Mason

THE FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE is an award-winning 50-minute documentary by Canadian filmmaker Michelle Mason about an international group of veterans who are building a village in Viet Nam for children with Agent Orange-related disabilities. Built on a former rice paddy near Hanoi, the Friendship Village stands not only as a symbol of peace and reconciliation, but as a testament to the potential for all people to come to terms with the past, heal the wounds of war, and create a better world.

Following the story of the village's founder, American veteran George Mizo, THE FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE takes us through his experiences of war's horror to the personal transformation that led to the birth of his remarkable village. Working alongside the Vietnamese general responsible for killing his entire platoon in 1968, George and other veterans from the USA, Vietnam, France, Germany, Japan, Great Britain and Australia are attempting to mitigate the ongoing effects of the toxic herbicide sprayed during the war. Their efforts are a powerful example of how average people can still make a profound difference in our increasingly globalized world. As such, the Vietnam Friendship Village has the potential to change not only the lives of the children who live in it and the men who build it, but all who come to understand its mission.

WINNER:

• Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary, Best Director of a Documentary at the 2003 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival
• Silver Hugo for Best Social/Political Documentary at the 2003 Chicago International Television Awards
• Columbine Award for Best Documentary at the 2003 Moondance International Film Festival, Boulder, Colorado

I've just seen THE FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE. It is an extraordinaily moving and powerful film. It is by turns heartrending and inspiring. Centering it on the experiences and thought of Vietnam veteran George Mizo was a brilliant idea. I believe the film is a proper tribute to the life of this remarkable human being. I hope this film will be seen by large numbers of young people, to remind them of what the U.N. charter calls"the scourge of war."
--Howard Zinn

To purchase a video copy of THE FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE contact: VFVP-USA.
Proceeds from video sales help support the Vietnam Friendship Village Project.

Meet the producer/director of
The Friendship Village

In 1998 Michelle decided to leave journalism to pursue a career as an independent filmmaker, and moved to Berlin where she began work on The Friendship Village. She returned to her hometown Vancouver in 2000 and founded Cypress Park Productions Inc., a film production company dedicated to creating documentary and dramatic films that focus on themes of transformation. Through Cypress Park she is currently developing several documentary and dramatic films. She also recently formed the Canadian Committee for the Vietnam Friendship Village Project to raise funds for Agent Orange victims in Vietnam.

Friendship Village: A Place of Healing
A Documentary Film by Bill Bacon

FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE: A PLACE OF HEALING is a 28-minute video perfect for presentations to service clubs, school groups, etc. Produced in 2003 by Emmy-award-winning director William Bacon, this touching informational film about the Vietnam Friendship Village Project focuses on the theme of American veterans returning to Vietnam in search of reconciliation and healing. Includes a brief history of project founder George Mizo and on the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam war.

To purchase a video copy of A PLACE OF HEALING contact: VFVP-USA
Proceeds from video sales help support the Vietnam Friendship Village Project.

Meet the producer/director of
Friendship Village: A Place of Healing

WILLIAM W. "BILL" BACON III has been making films since 1956. "I've been so fortunate," he says. "My camera's taken me all over the world." Early in his career, he worked 20 years on nature films for Disney. He's filmed all over Alaska-from Barrow, way out in the Aleutians, to way down in Ketchikan. In 2000 he received the Alaska Filmmakers Award. He's done films in Tibet, China-and now Vietnam.

Alaskan Vietnam veterans including Michael Cull and Suel Jones approached Bill about doing a video on the Vietnam Friendship Village, and he agreed. In Fall 2001 he traveled to Vietnam and shot the village, the children, and some of the veterans that made it possible. By that time George Mizo had passed away, but Bill was able to include George's wife Rosi and son Michael in the video.

Bill was deeply touched by what he saw at the Friendship Village-not only the effects of Agent Orange on Vietnamese families, but also the emotional involvement of the American veterans, some of whom have had similar problems in their own families from their exposure to the dioxin-laced defoliant used during the war. Although Bill felt some sadness, he also was taken by all the work that the veterans are doing and what the people in Vietnam are doing to help their people.

About Vietnam in general, Bill remarked, "Everywhere I went I was accepted. They smiled and bowed to me, and I thought that was really neat, after the war, that they still have caring for us and they recognize that there's a friendship there."

Forget-Me-Not:
A Vietnam video experience

FORGET-ME-NOT, a 48-minute documentary, was produced by LB Johnson, with assistance from Jeff Huch, when the 1995 peace-building delegation from Santa Cruz, California visited Vietnam as guests of the Vietnamese Veterans Association. Travel along as they explore the mysterious and misunderstood country of Vietnam, seeing beautiful sights and making new friends along the way. Highlights include:

• The Vietnam Friendship Village Project - Witness a living symbol of peace being created by veterans, all former adversaries, from six different countries.

• The City of Hue - Be entertained by traditional musicians and enjoy the cultural treasures of the Nguyen Dynasty.

• China Beach - See the majestic coastline of Central Vietnam and meet local children at Non Nuoc.

• Hoi An - Visit an orphanage caring for children born with dioxin poisoning (Agent Orange).

• Cu Chi Tunnels - Crawl through this subterranean labyrinth, originally used by the Viet Cong for protection against air raids, now a tourist attraction.

To purchase a video copy of FORGET-ME-NOT contact: LB Johnson
Proceeds from video sales help support the Vietnam Friendship Village Project.

Meet the producers of Forget-Me-Not

A Santa Cruz community based videographer for over 20 years, LB JOHNSON is a one-woman production company, producing, directing, writing and editing all of her own work. FORGET-ME-NOT is the culmination of her seven years involvement with Vietnam. In 1989 LB documented RETURN TO THE VILLE, the story of Marines returning 20 years after the Vietnam conflict. Then she worked with veterans from both sides of the war in PEACE, RECONCILIATION AND THE FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE. In 1999 LB produced an award-winning documentary about the growing industrial hemp market, HEMP HEMP HOORAY!
	VFVP-USA Director and organizer of the Santa Cruz delegation's tour, JEFF "PACO" HUCH worked tirelessly to educate people about the realities of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people's desire for friendship. A talented graphic artist, writer, and performance artist, his five-part travelogue of the journey was published in the Santa Cruz County Sentinel. Paco died of natural causes in Hanoi in March 1996, during his third peacemaking mission to Vietnam, while FORGET-ME-NOT, which he co-produced, was still in post production.