On Wednesday, July 22nd the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum Speaker Series, in collaboration with the 24th Woods Hole Film Festival, present a special screening of the Academy Award nominated documentary film LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM by Rory Kennedy.  The screening will be held at Barnstable High School 744 West Main Street, Hyannis. Before the film, Rory Kennedy will attend a reception at the JFK Hyannis Museum for ticketholders. She will also participate in a question and answer session with moderator Rob Sennott following the film.
 
About the Film
 
April, 1975. During the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closed in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. City after city and village after village fell to the North while the skeleton crew of U.S. diplomats and military operatives still in the county contemplate withdrawal. As Communist victory becomes inevitable and the U.S. readies to withdraw, some Americans begin to consider the certain imprisonment and possible death of their South Vietnamese allies, co-workers, and friends. Meanwhile, the prospect of an official evacuation of South Vietnamese becomes terminally delayed by Congressional gridlock and the inexplicably optimistic U.S. Ambassador. With the clock ticking, the city under fire and at the risk of their careers and possible court-martial, a handful of individuals took matters into their own hands. Engaging in unsanctioned and often makeshift operations, they waged a desperate effort to evacuate as many South Vietnamese as possible. The film includes never-before-seen footage and first hand accounts of the dramatic actions taken to accomplish the impossible. 
 
About the Filmmaker
 
Rory Kennedy is an Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker whose work covers an array of issues ranging from poverty to politics to human rights. Other films include the 2012 film Ethel, about the life of her mother, Ethel Kennedy, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House; American Hollow; A Boy’s Life; and Pandemic: Facing AIDS.
 
Tickets on sale in advance online at www.woodsholefilmfestival.org or www.jfkhyannismuseum.org . Prices: $50 for screening and reception with Rory Kennedy at the Museum preceding the film; $25 screening only; $10 veterans and students. Seating is general admission.  Tickets also available at the door. For more information, call (508) 790-3077 ext. 202.