a.k.a. Don Bonus (1995, 55 mins.)

National Emmy© for Outstanding Informational or Cultural Programming "

"Strong filmic 'diary' ... An urban reality check both perilous and engaging." -- Variety

...filmed by a student very much on the edge academically, but self-revealing, sensitive and able to laugh at himself. It is a perfect antidote to simplistic 'model minority' stereotypes about Asian students... " -- Gary Orfield, Harvard University

After escaping the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, the Ny family became one of thousands of refugees faced with resettlement in the U.S. Their lives unfold through the lens of this stirring video diary. As 18-year-old Sokly "Don Bonus" Ny struggles to graduate from high school and survive the realities of San Francisco's housing rojects, his eldest brother cannot fill a dead father's shoes and his youngest brother ends up in a youth prison. Don shares these experiences, his personal feelings, and his hopes as the year progresses. Ultimately, "a.k.a. Don Bonus" becomes a story of triumph and survival from the perspective of one of America's newest arrivals.