New Wave

Admission is free. No advance reservations. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. The box office opens one hour before the event.

New Wave

U.S., 2024 

For a group of young, rebellious Vietnamese Americans in the 1970s and 1980s, the struggle to find identity took root in a community of musicians with big hair, vibrant fashion, and synthesized beats. A culture clash was born, playing out in the careers and lives of New Wave musicians, documented in Elizabeth Ai’s kinetic film that skillfully weaves together the challenges of intergenerational understanding in the search for the American dream. The anchor of this mesmerizing film is its use of archival materials, a portal into a changing community grappling with transformation. Ai’s role as filmmaker and subject reveals raw personal questions from the aftermath of the Vietnam War, joining a growing artistic and archival response to retelling a community’s experiences and histories.

DCP, color, 88 min. Director: Elizabeth Ai. With: Lynda Trang Đài, Ian “DJ BPM” Nguyen.

Special thanks to the UCLA Center for Study of Women and UCLA Asian American Studies Center for their support.