Nerakhoon

“The Betrayal” (“Nerakhoon”), a documentary about a refugee family from Laos and the first feature directed by the cinematographer Ellen Kuras was filmed over the course of 23 years and is the story of a family’s epic journey from war-torn Laos to the mean streets of New York. Thavisouk Phrasavath tells his own story of struggling as a young man to survive both the war and the hardships of immigrant life, as well as his mother’s astonishing tale of perseverance.

The New York Times writes:

"While at Brown, Ms. Kuras took photography courses at the Rhode Island School of Design and, given her interest in anthropology, found herself moving toward documentary film. Living in South Providence, among immigrants from Southeast Asia, she met refugees from Laos and learned the history of that landlocked country, the site of covert operations by the CIA during the Vietnam War. After the Communist government took power in 1975, the Lao soldiers who worked for the United States became targets for persecution...After moving to New York she decided to learn the Lao language. She found a tutor, a young man named Thavisouk Phrasavath, and realized that she had also found the subject of her film. “The moment I opened my door I knew we would be friends,” she said. Over the years the project became more collaborative. Mr. Phrasavath is credited as the co-director of 'The Betrayal,' which he also edited."