Dust of Life
Poussières de vie
Directed by	Rachid Bouchareb
Written by	Duyen Anh (novel) Rachid Bouchareb Bernard Gesbert
Produced by	Jean Bréhat
Starring	Daniel Guyant Gilles Chitlaphone Jehan Pagès Éric Nguyen Lina Chua R. Shukor Kader
Cinematography	Youcef Sahraoui
Edited by	Hélène Ducret
Music by	Safy Boutella
Distributed by	Swift Distribution
Release date	18 January 1995 (1995-01-18)
Running time	87 minutes
Countries	France Algeria Belgium Germany Hong Kong
Language	French

Dust of Life (French: Poussières de vie) is a 1995 French drama film directed by Rachid Bouchareb. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film as an Algerian submission.^[1] The film is based on a true story, originally recounted in a novel by Duyen Anh.^[2]

Plot

The film takes place after the end of Vietnam War. It tells the story of a Vietnamese boy, Son, born to a Vietnamese mother, and an African-American father who was fighting in the war but has since returned home to the USA. (The title 'Dust of Life' refers to the Vietnamese word for children of such mixed Amerasian parentage.) Son is taken away from his mother and confined to a labour camp, where life is harsh and chances of release slim. Together with some other boys from the camp, Son attempts to escape.^[3]

Cast

• Daniel Guyant — Son
• Gilles Chitlaphone — Bob
• Jehan Pagès — Petit Haï
• Éric Nguyen — Un-Deux
• Leon Outtrabady — Shrimp
• Lina Chua — Son's mother
• R. Shukor Kader — Son's father

Accolades

Academy Award

• 1996: Nominated, "Best Foreign Language Film"

Young Artist Award

• 1995: Won, "Outstanding Youth Actor in a Foreign Film" - Daniel Guyant & Jehan Pagès