Vietnam, Long Time Coming

1998, 120 minutes

Vietnam, Long Time Coming
Vietnam, Long Time Coming

The last American officials were airlifted out of Vietnam from the embassy roof in Saigon in 1975. Most have never returned. In 1998, World T.E.A.M. (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) Sports organized a 16-day, 1100 mile bicycle expedition through once war-torn Northern and Southern Vietnam. A non-profit organization that focuses on events for the disabled, World T.E.A.M. Sports drew an array of veterans from the U.S. and Vietnam, as well as celebrity riders like Greg La Monde and Senator John Kerry. Those without use of their legs used special hand-powered bikes, while blind riders pedaled from the back of tandem bikes. What is immediately apparent on the veterans' arrival in Vietnam is that their biggest handicaps are the ghosts of their pasts. Past enemies ride as one team in peace across a landscape they once killed to stay alive on. Much more than a race, the ride is an exorcism; the real finish line is the painful emotional confrontation each must make alone along the way.

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Recent News

Busy weeks ahead

October 31, 2011

These are busy times at KTQ. Eleven different Kartemquin documentaries are screening around the USA this week alone, with over forty cumulative screenings total (we have to estimate because we don't know yet just how many times The Interrupters might screen this weekend)!
 

Filmmakers

Executive Producers
Jim Benson
Paulette Douglas
Steve Whisnant
Sports Illustrated
World T.E.A.M. Sports
Producers
Jerry Blumenthal
Peter Gilbert
Gordon Quinn
Kartemquin Films
Long Shot Films
Co-Producer
Adam Singer

Distinctions

Outstanding Directorial Achievement
Directors Guild Awards
1998
Outstanding Program Achievement
National Society of Television Arts and Sciences, Emmy Awards
1998
Nominee, Best Documentary
National Society of Film Critics
1998
Best Documentary
Route 66 Film Festival
2009
Golden Eagle Award
CINE
1999

Press

"Vietnam: Long Time Coming registers as a heroic and essential piece of filmmaking that will surely be cherished in years to come."

—Jonathan Rosembaum, Chicago Reader