A Sense Of Place

Streaming video - 2015

A Buddhist nun, a fashion designer, a student and a playwright - their paths have never crossed yet they have common experiences in their struggle for identity, maintaining a connection to their cultural roots and reconciling two worlds: Vietnam and Australia. Just over 30 years ago, the first wave of non-European refugees - Vietnamese refugees - arrived in Australia. Their homeland had been torn apart by war and most were not looking for a new life, rather an escape from social chaos and uncertainty. For many people, leaving was traumatic and the escapades on a small boat made of timber often ended in tragedy. For those who made it, many without their families, a wait of many months in squalid camps followed before they were offered a new... homeland in Australia. In this documentary, we meet four Australian Vietnamese people: Dominic Golding, a playwright; Sister Hue Can, a Buddhist Nun; Alistair Trung, a fashion designer; and Margaret Nguyen, a student. Through candid interviews interlaced with dramatic archival footage, the stories of these four very different personalities illuminate the pathway for us all towards achieving a sense of place. more