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SAIGON ELECTRIC

Every move has a story. Help get Vietnam's first hip hop film and festival award winner to the big screen!

Film – Los Angeles, California, United States

THE STORY OF SAIGON ELECTRIC: Believe In The Power Of Dreams



MAI, a traditional ribbon dancer from the countryside, arrives to the big city of Saigon in hopes of being admitted to the national dance academy, where she meets the rebellious KIM, A hip hop from a local crew. Mai enters their lives as the crew trains at the community center with their own dreams: to compete internationally in South Korea. To do so, they have to beat the national champs from Hanoi. Soon enough, Kim moves in with Mai and the two teens become kindred spirits until Kim loses in an underground battle and quits the South crew. As Mai becomes closer to Doboy, the leader of the South crew, Kim begins a fairy tale romance with Hai, a rich boy from the other side of the tracks threatens her friendship with Mai. The kids trouble mount when a hotel developer informs them that their community center will be torn down to make room for a large hotel. Now Mai and Doboy have to convince city officials to attend the Samsung competition, but first theyve got to beat the North crew. Will Kim run off to Europe with her rich new boyfriend, or will she return to her hip hop family. Will Mai find the courage to audition again for the national dance academy. Will the underdogs Saigon crew find a way to keep their  community center and find victory at the big competition? SAIGON ELECTRIC is a movie that looks at the youth in modern day Vietnam, and their power to dream.

Help Us Get SAIGON ELECTRIC To the Big Screen This October!

SAIGON ELECTRIC, the latest film from Vietnamese American filmmaker Stephane Gauger, director of OWL AND THE SPARROW (LA FILM FEST 2007 Audience Award for Best Feature, Independent Spirit Award Nominee), is winding down its successful film festival (San Francisco Asian Pacific Film Fest, Seattle International Film Fest, Hong Kong International Film Fest, LA Asian Pacific Film Fest, Vietnamese International Film Fest) is set to be released this October 7th in select US cities! 


Plans are set! However, with the theatrical landscape for independent and international cinema becoming more expensive, we want to do this right and get the film to as many theaters as possible. Your donation will ensure that SAIGON ELECTRIC can open to as many cities as possible. These are the current cities we want to open in: Orange County, San Jose, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, Atlanta, Washington DC, Honolulu.... and many more!!!



This Is Not Oliver Stone's "Vietnam"                                       

The connection between young Vietnamese, either from Vietnam or overseas, is interconnected through many trends, with hip hop and street culture becoming a prominent force. Globalization and the power of the Internet has infused a familiar, yet unique culture. SAIGON ELECTRIC is a window in this emerging street culture in Vietnam, but with the traditional tropes of a coming-of-age story. Kids in Vietnam stay connected via Facebook, watch GLEE, listen to Eminem, and are as in the know as any kid in the OC, NYC, Paris, or Sydney. 

In our wish of telling universal stories with a global outlook and a distinctly Vietnamese point of view, the seeds of SAIGON ELECTRIC were planted. As the population of Vietnam grows younger and younger, youth culture is seeping onto the streets of Vietnam. Hip hop and graffiti artists are alive in todays rapidly modernized culture. As our production team researched the best underground talent in Vietnam, we found much support from the hip hop community. Hundreds of young dancers came to audition for the chance to be captured on film, and we believe we were very fortunate in the ones selected to showcase their world of expression. We want to give the teenagers a voice and present to an international audience a fresh new look at the dreams and struggles of Asian youth.

Be Part of A New Film Movement!

It's plain and simple. To get SAIGON ELECTRIC to as many theaters as   possible this Fall, we need to manufacture new 35mm prints and overlay new English subtitles to book them in as many movie theatres as possible. Routinely, it costs a little over $1,500 to make a new 35mm print. That's an expensive endeavor, for sure! We already have a couple of prints already, but we need your help to make more and ensure that we can fulfill our theatrical bookings and get the movie out all on the same day, October 7th!  

SAIGON ELECTRIC is a positive, feel good film that we are very proud of. We want to give back to our donors,  so we're giving away cool stuff even at the initial level of $20. Of course, with the more you contribute, the more perks you get!

Other Ways You Can Help
We are also looking for a few good volunteers, community leaders and potential sponsors who can help get the word out from the ground in key cities (OC, San Jose, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Honolulu). If you know any potential outreach partners, then e-mail us!

Team on This Campaign: