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Tale of tragedy, triumph

Documentary on Le Ly Hayslip earns local Emmy nominations for Palomar College

By Triveni Sheshadri | triveni.sheshadri@tlnews.net

Palomar College Television’s “From War to Peace and Beyond” tells the story of Le Ly Hayslip (right), who fled Vietnam and became a U.S. citizen and businesswoman. The documentary was directed by Bill Wisneski (center), who is conferring with Spanish professor Kathleen Sheahan. John Gastaldo | Union-Tribune

Saturday, May 26, 2007

When Le Ly Hayslip approached Bill Wisneski about making a documentary of her life, he had the task of condensing into 30 minutes the trials and triumphs of a woman who survived war, torture, rape and an abusive marriage to become a businesswoman, author and philanthropist.

“From War to Peace and Beyond,” made by Palomar College Television, chronicles Hayslip’s life beginning with her childhood in war-ravaged Vietnam to her work as U.S. citizen to bring education and health care to the people of her native land.

The film is nominated for four regional Emmys. Wisneski has been nominated for writing, directing and producing the documentary, and Chris Brown received a nod for editing. The Pacific Southwest Emmy Awards ceremony will be held June 16 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.

“It’s very rare for people in academia, especially at a community college, to be nominated,” Wisneski said. “It’s a big deal to receive four nominations.”

The film combines footage shot by the Palomar crew in Hayslip’s former home in Escondido, and interviews with Vietnam veterans and director Oliver Stone, whose film “Heaven and Earth” was based on Hayslip’s life. Crew members sifted through photographs and newspaper articles, and viewed about 50 VHS tapes and footage shot by a videographer in Vietnam. The movie took about a year to make and was completed in December.

“We had to fit it in with our other work of making educational videos and promos,” Wisneski said.

Telling the story of Hayslip’s life on two continents presented a great opportunity as well as many challenges for Palomar Television. The station is in the business of making distance-learning videos.

“The script was written and rewritten many times,” Wisneski said. “There was quite a bit of editing. We had hundreds of hours of interviews. It was a challenge to choose the sound bites that would best illustrate the point we were trying to make.”

Aaron Capehart, a Palomar student, was part of the 20-member crew. An intern at the time of the film’s production, he spent many hours going through VHS tapes and transcribing quotes. He also worked behind the camera, as well as on set design and lighting.

“It’s crazy how much work goes into making a 10-minute or 30-minute film,” Capehart said.

Assistant Producer Chia Longtree said she was excited by the Emmy nominations.

“I am very pleased that artistically, it turned out so well,” Longtree said. “It’s very gratifying to see the recognition for Le Ly and the work she is doing in the world.”

Hayslip, 58, was the last of six children in a rural family in Ky La, a village near the city of Da Nang in central Vietnam. The harbinger of war was the landing of American helicopters in the lush paddies that her family cultivated.

Soon the entire village was drawn into the conflict. Suspicion and distrust became a way of life. At 14, Hayslip was recruited as a lookout by the Viet Cong. She suffered imprisonment and torture by South Vietnamese troops and was raped by Viet Cong soldiers. At 15, she fled her village and went to Da Nang and later to Saigon, where she met her American husband, a civilian engineer.

Hayslip settled in San Diego in 1970. The war was behind her, but Hayslip faced a new set of hardships. She struggled to fit in as an immigrant, was torn by worries about what had happened to her family, became widowed twice and raised her three sons as a single parent. As she cleaned homes, worked in an assembly line and as a waitress at restaurants, Hayslip began to educate herself about the real estate business. By the early 1980s, she had transformed herself into a real estate investor and restaurant owner. But something was missing.

“I had assets, not money, but I still felt empty and lonely,” Hayslip recalled. “I had a spiritual hunger.”

In 1986, she returned to Vietnam to find her family. Although the reunion with her mother was joyous, Hayslip was shocked by the poverty and the desperation of the Vietnamese people.

After her return to the United States, she established the East Meets West Foundation and later the Global Village Foundation, both devoted to rebuilding her homeland. She enlisted the help of Vietnam veterans, philanthropists and Stone to bring clean water and build schools, clinics and orphanages in rural areas.

Hayslip collaborated with Jay Wurts to write “When Heaven and Earth Changed Places,” a memoir of the first 20 years of her life, which also spotlights the suffering of Vietnamese peasants during the war. She wrote her second book, “Child of War, Woman of Peace,” with her son James.

“Writing helped me heal, helped me understand what happened to me and my villagers, my parents, uncles, aunts and neighbors,” she said.

Since 1984, Hayslip has made her home in North County. She has lived in La Costa and Escondido and recently moved to San Marcos. Although decades have passed since the Vietnam War, the memories still bring tears.

“It’s a wound, a trauma that’s always going to be there,” Hayslip said.

“It’s hard to block it out.”

Hayslip hopes the film will find an audience in college campuses nationwide.

“My hope is that the young people can do better for themselves and for humanity and create a better world for the future,” she said.

Reach reporter Triveni Sheshadri at (760) 752-6757.