Purpose:
– Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with a free community screening of Elizabeth Ai’s documentary NEW WAVE.
– Commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam/American War by honoring Vietnamese-American resilience, identity, and the unifying power of music.

Themes:
– Vietnamese-American cultural preservation: how music became a vehicle for self-expression and belonging after displacement.
– Intergenerational resilience: reflecting on the legacy of war, migration, and creative rebirth in the 1980s Orange County scene.
– Music as community: exploring how New Wave sounds created a sense of home for refugee teens navigating two worlds.

Organizers & Sponsors:
– Viet Voices
– NEW WAVE: 50 for 50 campaign (nationwide initiative)
– San Diego Asian Film Festival (previous sold-out screening host)