A DREAM IN HANOI (91 minutes) Vietnam/USA Director/Producer: Tom Weidlinger

A unique alliance takes place between former adversaries, the United States and Vietnam during the staging of the first performance of Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, in Vietnam. A Dream in Hanoi documents the preparations in mounting the play as the members of the two theatre companies, one American, the other Vietnamese, juggle not only the creative exertions of putting on a play but also face the history of a recent war along with the huge obstacles of different cultures, languages and ideologies. The lead American actor starts a small revolution by introducing his leading Vietnamese lady to full-mouth kissing on stage - an intimacy that's taboo in traditional Vietnamese theatre. As the production draws closer to the opening night at Hanoi's famous Opera House, the well intended collaboration teeters on legs of skirmishes, mishaps, angst and maybe... the beginning of a long relationship. Dream in Hanoi is the first American documentary about American/Vietnamese relations that does not focus on the Vietnam war or its legacy of human suffering. A veteran filmmaker, TOM WEIDLINGER has been writing, directing and producing documentary films for twenty-five years. His leanings towards issues of social justice and grassroots democracy have produced award-winning works like West of the Imagination, a six-part television series on the mythological status of the American West as portrayed in mainstream media. His other works include Boys will be Men and The Great San Francisco Earthquake, which was a part of the celebrated PBS anthology series, The American Experience Tom Weidlinger Moira Productions 1535 Juanita Way Berkeley, CA 94702 E-mail: TomWeidlinger@SBCGLOBAL.NET URL: www.adreaminhanoi.com ______________________________________________________________________ all material ©2002 UNAFF / contact: infounaff.org / design: infocontext.fm