- Directed by: Taggart Siegel & Kati Johnston
- Produced by: Taggart Siegel & Kati Johnston
Released: 1987
Running Time: 57 min
Subjects: Sociology, Immigration and Refugeeism, Southeast Asian Studies
This dramatic documentary explores America's most recent refugees, struggling against the mounting tension of a post-Vietnam era filled with guilt and anger. A group of Laotian refugees have built a Buddhist temple on a small farmstead on the outskirts of a resolutely blue-collar town. Their efforts to preserve their culture and religious heritage have been greeted by several terrorist attacks upon their temple. By investigating the opinions of townspeople and officials concerning the refugees, the film becomes a barometer of America's attitude towards refugees and immigrants. BLUE COLLAR AND BUDDHA is a moving portrait of the experience of today's refugees and the dramas that results when East meets West.
Awards
- Award of Excellence, Society for Visual Anthropology Festival
- Gold Medal, International Film & TV Festival of New York
- Winner, Best Documentary, 12th Atlanta Film & Video Festival
- Silver Plaque, Chicago International Film & Video Festival
- Winner, Sinking Creek Film & Video Festival
- Winner, Best Documentary, Illinois Film & Video Festival
Quotes
"'Blue Collar and Buddha' is that rarity among documentary films - a compelling human document, a provocative statement, a moving exploration of both anger and gentleness. This is not merely a first rate film-it's an important one. I was haunted for days." - Donald Spoto, author, The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock