On Healing Land, Birds Perch
- Directed by: Naja Pham Lockwood
- Released: 2026 (educational)
- Year of Production: 2025
Behind one of the Vietnam War’s most iconic Pulitzer Prize–winning photographs lies a story resonant with today’s global crises. Woven through voices of survivors, ON HEALING LAND, BIRDS PERCH meditates on memory, loss, and renewal confronting the enduring scars of war and the resilience of refugees rebuilding their lives.
On Healing Land, Birds Perch is a short documentary that tells the remarkable stories behind one of the most iconic photos in history, while acting as a portal into the “varied carols,” to borrow from Walt Whitman, of trauma and the American journey. This is the first documentary, from a Vietnamese born filmmaker that explores the continuing aftershocks of the Vietnam War from the perspectives of both sides of the war: North Vietnamese and South Vietnamese including Vietnamese Americans alive today. The story is told through the iconic Pulitzer winning photo of General Loan shooting a Communist Vietcong, Captain Lem in the head, two days after the 1968 Tet Offensive. With original interviews, these individuals, the daughter of the General Loan, the children of the executed, Captain Lem, and the son whose family was allegedly killed by the executed and his men, prior to his execution, share for the first time on camera the intense emotions this photo elicits even today and the impact it has had on their lives. While these individuals hold widely differing views on this photo, the film poignantly portrays that all have something in common: the lasting trauma from the War.
Doc Edge Film Festival, Best Documentary Award
Walla Walla Movie Crush, Best Documentary Award
Cleveland International Film Festival, Audience Choice Award
Viet Film Festival, Best Documentary Award
Official Selection, San Francisco Int. Film Festival, Doc 10, LAAPFF among others
"Through its inclusion of perspectives from both sides of Vietnam’s civil war, On Healing Land becomes a deeply moving study of how wartime violence is refracted through the postwar memories and experiences of survivors. By centering Vietnamese characters and testimony, Lockwood shows viewers the shortcomings of the Hollywood portrayal of Vietnam as a theater of American agony. This highly recommended film helps students explore the “hidden” aspects of Vietnam War history while learning about the complex interplay among war, violence, trauma, and memory." - Edward Miller, Dartmouth College
"The film’s pedagogical value is substantial. At the high school level, it can be used in courses on U.S. history, world history, or civics to introduce students to the Vietnam War through a human-centered lens. It encourages critical thinking about how history is constructed and how images shape public perception. In college settings, the documentary is especially well-suited for courses in history, political science, international law, Asian American studies, journalism, and trauma studies. It invites rigorous discussion on topics such as the ethics of war, transitional justice, refugee experiences, and the role of visual media in shaping collective memory." - Lan Can, Chapman University
"However, I was able to use the film to explore much more than that: After viewing the film in class together, we talked about recurring motifs and themes; point of view, and much more. Beyond literary and storytelling techniques, this film helped me to teach my students about the balance of power in history, and the importance of passing the mic around to every possible involved party, including those who don't necessarily have access to the mic in the first place." - Yi Shun, Author
Naja Pham Lockwood, who escaped from Vietnam in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War and now makes Utah her home, is directing a short documentary.
On Healing Land looks at the traumas of the Vietnam War through the lens of one of the most iconic Pulitzer Prize winning photographs which defined the Vietnam War called Saigon Execution. The film searches out the children of those involved in the photo and through a Vietnamese and Vietnamese American perspective takes us on a journey where healing is possible.
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