In the summer
of l969, Newsreel went to North Vietnam. From that trip came PEOPLES'
WAR. This film moves beyond the perception of the North Vietnamese
as victims to a portrait of how the North Vietnamese society is organized.
It shows the relationship of the people to their government-how local
tasks of a village are coordinated and its needs met. It deals with
the reality of a nation that has been at war for twenty-five years,
that is not only resisting US aggression and keeping alive under bombing,
but that is also struggling to raise its standard of living and to
overcome the underdevelopment of centuries of colonial rule. Amid
much publicity, the footage was confiscated upon its return to the
US. Despite this attempt at suppression, PEOPLE'S WAR has become one
of the most sought-after films on Vietnam.
Blue ribbon
at U.S.A. film festival in Houston, Texas
Golden Bear Award, Moscow, USSR
l969 - 40 minutes
