Center for Asian American Media

After escaping the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, the Ny family became one of thousands of refugees faced with resettlement in the U.S. Their lives unfold through the lens of this stirring video diary. As 18-year-old Sokly Ny (Don Bonus) struggles to graduate from high school, his family is harassed in the housing projects, his eldest brother cannot fill a dead father's shoes and his youngest brother ends up in a youth prison. Sokly shares these experiences, his personal feelings and his hopes as the year progresses. Ultimately, A.K.A DON BONUS becomes a story of triumph and survival from the perspective of one of America's newest arrivals.

“...filmed by a student very much on the edge academically, but self-revealing, sensitive and able to laugh at himself. It is a perfect antidote to simplistic ‘model minority’ stereotypes about Asian students...”

- Gary Orfield, Harvard University

Awards
National Emmy for Outstanding Informational or Cultural Programming
Juror’s Choice Award, Charlotte Film and Video Festival
First Place, Visions du Reel, Nyon, Switzerland
Golden Gate Award, Best Bay Area Documentary, San Francisco Int’l Film Festival
Special Award, National Educational Media Network

Recognition
National PBS Broadcast, POV series
NOS telecast, The Netherlands

Additional Resources
a.k.a. DON BONUS Study Guide for grades 9-12 »

Related Films
Kelly Loves Tony
Monkey Dance
Refugee
Sentenced Home
Tenderloin Stories
T.L. XMas/School Daze/Home

Other Films in the Collection
A.K.A. Don Bonus
Kelly Loves Tony
Refugee

College/Institution

K-12/Public Library/Community Group