Sundance Film Festival

By Michael Goldman

The Sundance-debuting documentary, Nerakhoon (The Betrayal), represents the directorial debut for cinematographer Ellen Kuras. Nerakhoon was the first professional feature film project Kuras ever got involved with, took her 23 years to complete, and was directly responsible for her decision to become a cinematographer. It’s a compelling look at the impact on a family of Laotian immigrants to the United States of the ongoing consequences of their involvement in the secret U.S. air war in Laos during the Vietnam era. Kuras made the film in partnership with the central player in the drama—Laotian immigrant Thavisouk Phrasavath, who went on to become her officially credited co-writer and co-director on the project. She recently discussed the making of the film, including the unique challenges in editing and conforming material shot in dozens of different formats over the course of more than two decades, with millimeter Senior Editor Michael Goldman. You can hear part of their conversation by clicking the link below, and check out the January/February issue of millimeter for more on how the project came together.

To listen to the podcast interview click here.
(To download: Right Click, Save As)

Check out our entire Sundance Podcast Archive.