Dust of Life (1995 film)

Dust of Life
Poussières de vie
Directed byRachid Bouchareb
Written byDuyen Anh (novel)
Rachid Bouchareb
Bernard Gesbert
Produced byJean Bréhat
StarringDaniel Guyant
Gilles Chitlaphone
Jehan Pagès
Éric Nguyen
Lina Chua
R. Shukor Kader
CinematographyYoucef Sahraoui
Edited byHélène Ducret
Music bySafy Boutella
Distributed bySwift Distribution
Release date
  • 18 January 1995 (1995-01-18)
Running time
87 minutes
CountriesFrance
Algeria
Belgium
Germany
Hong Kong
LanguageFrench

Dust of Life (French: Poussières de vie) is a 1995 French drama film directed by Rachid Bouchareb. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film as an Algerian submission.[1] The film is based on a true story, originally recounted in a novel by Duyen Anh.[2]

Plot

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The film takes place after the end of Vietnam War. It tells the story of a Vietnamese boy, Son, born to a Vietnamese mother, and an African-American father who was fighting in the war but has since returned home to the USA. (The title 'Dust of Life' refers to the Vietnamese word for children of such mixed Amerasian parentage.) Son is taken away from his mother and confined to a labour camp, where life is harsh and chances of release slim. Together with some other boys from the camp, Son attempts to escape.[3]

Cast

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  • Daniel Guyant — Son
  • Gilles Chitlaphone — Bob
  • Jehan Pagès — Petit Haï
  • Éric Nguyen — Un-Deux
  • Leon Outtrabady — Shrimp
  • Lina Chua — Son's mother
  • R. Shukor Kader — Son's father

Accolades

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Academy Award

  • 1996: Nominated, "Best Foreign Language Film"

Young Artist Award

  • 1995: Won, "Outstanding Youth Actor in a Foreign Film" - Daniel Guyant & Jehan Pagès

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  2. ^ "Dust of Life". IMDB. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  3. ^ Hegwood Bowen, Elaine (28 June 2011). "Dust of Life". FilmMonthly. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
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