On Healing Land, Birds Perch: Healing From the Trauma of the Vietnam War

Join us for an intimate screening of On Healing Land, Birds Perch, a powerful short documentary by Vietnamese-born filmmaker Naja Pham Lockwood. Through the lens of Eddie Adams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Saigon Execution, the film explores the lingering trauma of the Vietnam War and the complex journey toward reconciliation — 50 years after the fall of Saigon. Lockwood, herself a refugee who fled Vietnam in 1975, brings together voices from both sides of the conflict: the children of the executed, the daughter of the executioner, and those whose families were caught in the crossfire. Their stories, raw and deeply personal, reveal the emotional scars that transcend generations and borders.

This screening is more than a cinematic experience. Following the film, Naja Lockwood will join us for a live Q&A to discuss the making of the documentary and the importance of confronting inherited trauma through storytelling.