Beginning in April, Humanities Texas will hold six screenings of the award-winning documentary film Seadrift in Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Galveston, Houston, and a second North Texas location. Following each screening, the film’s director, Tim Tsai, will respond to questions from the audience.

After the fall of Saigon, millions of Vietnamese "boat people" escaped their homeland by sea in a desperate attempt to find refuge. Many sought to build new lives along the Gulf Coast, finding available work and a favorable climate comparable to coast-rich, subtropical Vietnam. But the sudden influx of Vietnamese led to strained tensions in many fishing communities. In 1979, a fatal shooting in the small Texas fishing village of Seadrift ignited a maelstrom of hostilities against Vietnamese refugees along the Gulf Coast.

What really happened during this conflict, which was rife with rumors and false assumptions? How does a community recover and heal after a deep rift that erupted in violence? Seadrift examines this turbulent yet little-seen chapter of American history and explores the consequences that continue to reverberate today.

United We Stand

All Seadrift screenings are free and open to the public. This program is made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities's United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture initiative. For more information, contact programs@humanitiestexas.org.

Locations:

Austin

• Wednesday, June 5, 2024

• 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

• Register online to attend.

• Austin Film Society

• 6259 Middle Fiskville Rd.

• Parking is available in the lot in front of the theatre.

Corpus Christi

• Thursday, May 23, 2024

• 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

• Texas State Museum of Asian Cultures

• 1809 N Chaparral St.

• Free parking is available.

Dallas

• DETAILS TBD

Galveston

• Wednesday, April 17, 2024

• 12:00 p.m. (doors open at 11:30 a.m.)

• Rosenberg Library

• 2310 Sealy Ave.

• FREE LUNCH PROVIDED

• Parking is available behind the Rosenberg Library and across the street on Sealy Avenue at Ashton Villa.

Houston

• Tuesday, April 16, 2024

• 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

• Register online to attend.

• Asia Society Texas Center

• 1370 Southmore Blvd.

• Parking is located directly across the street on Southmore Boulevard. Enter from either Caroline Street or Austin Street.

Plano

• DETAILS TBD