2008 Woodie Awards
Skyline hosts film festival
Christopher Harrold
Date created: 2/17/05 Section: NEWS
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"Discovering Dominga" depicts the odyssey of Denise Becker, Iowa mother of two, who rediscovers her childhood as a Mayan born in Guatemala with the name Dominga.
In 1982, when Becker was nine, her father, a political activist, was assassinated. A month later, her village was brutally attacked and 170 men, women, and children were slaughtered by the government as part of a systematic genocidal killing spree that included more than 100,000 Guatemalans.
Thanks to the quick thinking of Denise's mother, her life was spared. After this, she wandered for almost 20 days in the jungle. Eventually found by some nuns and told to suppress and hide her past to save her life, she was adopted into the United States. At such a young age Denise's mind blocked most of these memories. The film shows her starting to rediscover her past.
"Daughter from Danang" told the story of Heidi, a Vietnamese immigrant who was adopted in the United States in 1975 as part of Operation Baby Lift, a program to save the Amerasian children of servicemen and native Vietnamese women. At the age of seven, Heidi was adopted and assimilated into American culture.
But, for the next 20 years, Heidi's birth mother searched to find her daughter that she had sent away. Heidi grew older and had children of her own and also started to seek out her mother. By coincidence they were able to connect. "Daughter from Danang" shows the emotional portrayal of the clash of cultures on Heidi's trip to reunite with her family.
One thing that both movies have in common is that of their director of photography. The style of Vincent Franco, a resident of Pacifica, can be exquisitely seen in both movies.
Another shared trait is that both documentaries are focused on middle-aged women who have been displaced at a young age into a foreign country, lose all recollection of their language and culture, and journey to discover themselves.
"Discovering Dominga" won the award for Best Documentary in the Imagen Awards 2004, Bermuda International Film Festival 2003, and the Corazon Awards 2004. "Daughter from Danang" was a runner up for Best Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize Best Documentary at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, and an Academy Award Nomination for Best Documentary in 2003, an Oscar they lost to Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine." Director Gail Dolgin was even on stage with Moore as he gave his acceptance speech that addressed President Bush.
In 1982, when Becker was nine, her father, a political activist, was assassinated. A month later, her village was brutally attacked and 170 men, women, and children were slaughtered by the government as part of a systematic genocidal killing spree that included more than 100,000 Guatemalans.
Thanks to the quick thinking of Denise's mother, her life was spared. After this, she wandered for almost 20 days in the jungle. Eventually found by some nuns and told to suppress and hide her past to save her life, she was adopted into the United States. At such a young age Denise's mind blocked most of these memories. The film shows her starting to rediscover her past.
"Daughter from Danang" told the story of Heidi, a Vietnamese immigrant who was adopted in the United States in 1975 as part of Operation Baby Lift, a program to save the Amerasian children of servicemen and native Vietnamese women. At the age of seven, Heidi was adopted and assimilated into American culture.
But, for the next 20 years, Heidi's birth mother searched to find her daughter that she had sent away. Heidi grew older and had children of her own and also started to seek out her mother. By coincidence they were able to connect. "Daughter from Danang" shows the emotional portrayal of the clash of cultures on Heidi's trip to reunite with her family.
One thing that both movies have in common is that of their director of photography. The style of Vincent Franco, a resident of Pacifica, can be exquisitely seen in both movies.
Another shared trait is that both documentaries are focused on middle-aged women who have been displaced at a young age into a foreign country, lose all recollection of their language and culture, and journey to discover themselves.
"Discovering Dominga" won the award for Best Documentary in the Imagen Awards 2004, Bermuda International Film Festival 2003, and the Corazon Awards 2004. "Daughter from Danang" was a runner up for Best Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize Best Documentary at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, and an Academy Award Nomination for Best Documentary in 2003, an Oscar they lost to Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine." Director Gail Dolgin was even on stage with Moore as he gave his acceptance speech that addressed President Bush.
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