Bomb Harvest

Bomb Harvest is a 2007 documentary film directed by Australian filmmaker Kim Mordaunt and produced by Sylvia Wilczynski. It explores the consequences of war in Laos as it follows an Australian bomb disposal specialist, training locals in the skill of detonating bombs while trying to stop villagers, particularly children, from finding them and using them for scrap metal.[1]

Bomb Harvest
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKim Mordaunt
Produced bySylvia Wilczynski
Screenplay byKim Mordaunt and Sylvia Wilczynski
StarringLaith Stevens
Music byCaitlin Yeo
Edited bySloane Klevin
Distributed byTVF International
Release date
2007
Running time
88 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

During the Vietnam War, Laos was the target of the heaviest US bombing campaign, making Laos the most bombed country in history: from 1964 until 1973 more than two million tonnes of bombs were dropped, including 260 million cluster munitions. An estimated 30% of the bombs dropped failed to detonate as intended. Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) continues to kill and injure people, and, as a consequence of large tracts of land (with evidence of UXOs) being sealed off, the local population are prevented from using it, including for the vital purpose of growing food. Casualties and deaths are still frequently reported, particularly amongst children and adolescents who are tempted into the restricted areas for many reasons, for example: to recapture livestock, to forage or to attempt to retrieve scrap metal, which is still a lucrative business. UXO is a key causative factor in the continuing high levels of poverty and is seen as stifling the economic and agricultural development of the country.[2][3][4]

Bomb Harvest explores how three generations of people have been left to deal with the consequences of the air war, and depicts the bravery of those trying to clear up its remnants.

The film crew spent two months on the ground with bomb disposal teams from the Mines Advisory Group as they dealt with live bombs, in areas of Laos which have never been filmed in before. The film premiered at the 2007 Sydney Film Festival, and won a Children's Advocacy award at the 2008 Artivist Film Festival.

See also

References
  1. "Bomb Harvest". At the Movies. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  2. MacKinnon, Ian (3 December 2008). "Forty years on, Laos reaps bitter harvest of the secret war". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


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