With Mardi Gras a Memory, Mr. Cao Goes to Washington

Happy belated Fat Tuesday! As our friends in New Orleans recover from the party of the year, clearing away the vibrant masks and beads to make way for the more sobering period of Lent, we wanted to draw your attention to a less visible figure coming out of the Big Easy: Representative Joseph Cao, the first Vietnamese American member of the U.S. Congress, and the only non-white Republican Congressman.

In a city dominated by black-and-white racial politics, particularly on the heels of Hurricane Katrina, Representative Cao seized an unlikely victory in 2008 with the help of a post-storm Vietnamese community driven to rebuild its devastated neighborhoods.

Mr. Cao Goes to Washington is an absorbing character study of an individual who must learn to deal with the racial and partisan politics of the South while still maintaining his own viewpoints and personal goals. This CAAM produced documentary investigates the harsh realities of bipartisanship and what it means to be a Republican (one representing a highly Democratic area), while also being a minority. Directed by S. Leo Chiang, whose A Village Called Versailles co-won the SFIAAFF ‘10 Documentary Audience Award.

Watch the Trailer below!