Under the guise of democratic leadership and liberation, the US has asserted its presence throughout Asia. Although Tibet and Vietnam have very different relationships with the US, the threat of communism to democracy, and ultimately capitalism, drew American interest to both places. As anti-communist rhetoric died down, US involvement in developing countries has taken the form of multinational companies and factories. These films interrogate the notions of American benevolence and explore the roles that US economic interests play in international relations.

TRT: 116 mins

When Communist China marched into Tibet in 1949, Tibetans took up arms against the invading forces. Unknown to most, from the mid-1950s until 1969 the CIA armed, financed and trained Tibetan guerrillas in an effort to curtail the expansion of communism. This project, code named ST Circus, was one of the CIA's longest running covert operations. To the dismay of Tibetan soldiers, the CIA pulled out their support when the US decided that ST Circus was no longer in the best interest of America's political and economic agenda.

By thoughtfully mapping different historical images, RIDING THE TIGER creates a stunning visual poem about the Vietnam War. Recontextualizing this footage shows how history and memories are created and how they can change over time. A strong metaphor in this piece is the roaring B-52, once symbolizing America's superior military power, now decomposing in an industrial graveyard. A string of voices describing personal symbolic memories about the war tie the visual pieces together to make a poignant statement about the longest war in American history.

Panning across rows of Disney dolls in a factory (unaffordable to the worker who assembled them) highlights the relationship between the consumer and the maker of the commodity. Economic globalization has led to the exploitation of factory workers around the world. The horrific working conditions of factories in Thailand have caused women--
90% of factory workers in the country--
to organize labor unions. Dynamic labor activists share their grassroots struggle for workers' rights.