Thavi Up for An Oscar

Thavisouk Phrasavath, who labored for many months on "Golden Venture," now stands on the verge of fame and glory with his Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. Thavi
co-directed, edited, wrote, narrated and stars in "Nerakhoon (Betrayal)," which is one of five films nominated in the category. "Nerakhoon" has been a huge hit critically and on the festival circuit. It's an artistic masterpiece, shot over 25 years. Basically, Thavi's story, the story of his family, and the story of the US relationship with Laos during and after the Vietnam War.

Thavi deserves the Oscar. I've seen most of the other films nominated -- including the two front runnerz, "Man on Wire" and the Herzog South Pole movie. While both of those two films are well done films, they don't compare to "Nerakhoon."

I don't mean to disparage another film maker's work, but I would be appalled if "Man on Wire" were to win. It's a nice film, but ultimately, it's a movie about a narcissistic publicity junkie and his small band of ass kissing sycophants, told with no irony or perspective. As you can see, I'm completely objective!

I'm proud to report that Thavi and I are working together again on a new film, "Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America." We've just launched a new web site: www.powerandcontrolfilm.com, which features a trailer and some short videos cut by Thavi.