PHETMIXAY MEANS FIGHTER seeks to explore Lao American refugee resiliency narratives through the life of the director’s father, Phoutone Phetmixay. As the central character, Phoutone’s poetic remembrances of his commitment to the Lao Royal army, displacement from Laos, and resettlement in the United States all serve to consider the complex hxstory of Lao Americans within the geopolitical context of U.S. invention and the socialist Lao government. To this day, Phoutone is still determined to keep fighting for Lao people and their civil rights and does so by living vicariously through his children. The film is invested in creating a space to validate a part of the director’s family hxstory by way of mourning, healing, and building community amongst other Lao American refugee families.
PMF is a short documentary film that has been screened over 10 college campuses, conferences, and film festivals.