Last Days in Vietnam
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Mark Bailey
Keven McAlester
| Last Days in Vietnam | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Rory Kennedy |
| Written by | Keven McAlester Mark Bailey |
| Produced by | Rory Kennedy Keven McAlester |
| Cinematography | Joan Churchill |
| Edited by | Don Kleszy |
| Music by | Gary Lionelli |
Production company | Moxie Firecracker Films |
| Distributed by | American Experience Films PBS Distribution |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English French German (Arte) |
| Budget | Unknown |
| Box office | $161,300[1] |
Last Days in Vietnam is a 2014 American documentary film written, produced and directed by Rory Kennedy.[2][3] The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 2014.[4]
After its premiere at Sundance Film Festival, American Experience Films acquired the distribution rights of the film, in association with PBS Distribution for DVD releases. The film had a theatrical release in New York City on September 5, 2014, before expanding nationwide in the United States during September and early October.[5] The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 87th Academy Awards.[6] It also garnered a nomination for Best Documentary Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America.[7] It premiered on PBS television on April 28, 2015.[8]
During the chaotic final weeks of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as the panicked South Vietnamese people desperately attempt to escape. On the ground, American soldiers and diplomats confront the same moral quandary: whether to obey White House orders to evacuate American citizens only—or to risk punishment and save the lives of as many South Vietnamese citizens as they can. The events recounted in the film mainly center on the American evacuation of Saigon codenamed Operation Frequent Wind.
Interviewees included Henry Kissinger, Richard Armitage, Frank Snepp, Stuart Herrington, and Terry McNamara among numerous others.