Eat Your Cake; I'm a Vietnamese Refugee

This short documentary follows refugee Mitchell Pham from a Vietnam War prison camp to a new home in New Zealand. Director Sally Tran — a 2013 Killer Films Internship Scholarship recipient — uses an interview with Pham as an adult, and live action mixed with animation to recreate the harrowing childhood journey. DIY more than CGI, the animation process was based on Vietnamese folded paper-craft. Requiring 20 volunteers, the 10,000 animated pieces of paper (and a rich score from The Sound Room) provide suggestive weight to Pham’s story of survival and courage.

It was a great adventure, but things quickly changed for the worst …

– From the narration

Key Cast & Crew

Sally Tran

Producer, Director, Writer

Andy Nguyen

As: Mitchell at 12, Oliver

Mitchell Pham

As: Himself

Warren Green

Camera

Wendy Shijia Wang

Animation Art director

Adrian Thompson

Live action Art director