EMPAC and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (HASS) presents a screening and Q&A with filmmaker Van Tran Nguyen of her film: Erie County Smile

Thursday, March 4, 3 PM EST: link

Friday, March 5, 3 PM EST: link

Van Tran Nguyen will introduce her newest project: a film called Erie County Smile (2021). Erie County Smile is a parody of “Paris By Night” (PBN), a popular Vietnamese-language variety show. PBN gained notoriety in the Vietnamese diasporic community by the mid-1990s and is still in production today. Music from the live shows were recorded and commonly played at Vietnamese-owned businesses all over the world. In the waiting area of my family’s nail salon, we always had PBN in the VHS player.

This film is dedicated to children of immigrants, who grew up behind doors labeled “EMPLOYEES ONLY”. Erie County Smile is a satirical short film by Van Tran Nguyen, in collaboration with Alex Derwick, Ako Shergazy, Bryan Czerniawski, and Mengtai Zhang.

The film is available for streaming now on Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/l/eriecountysmile