Newport International Film Festival 2008

Filmed over the course of 23 years, The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) is the story of a family’s epic journey from war-torn Laos to the mean streets of New York. Thavisouk Phrasavath tells his own story of struggling as a young man to survive both the war and the hardships of immigrant life, as well as his mother’s astonishing tale of perseverance. Renowned cinematographer Ellen Kuras’s (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I Shot Andy Warhol, Neal Young: Heart of Gold) directorial debut is a remarkable collaboration with co-director Phrasavath – a poetic, deeply personal film about the hidden, human face of war’s “collateral damage.