Ghost Tape No. 10

Friday, September 18, 2020, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Green-tinted image of clay sculpture of Vietnamese man

The film “Ghost Tape No. 10” — directed by SF State graduate Sean David Christensen — focuses on unearthing and re-examining this weaponization of belief through the context of modern-day Vietnamese and Vietnamese American religious practice. Through dreamlike visualizations and interviews in Vietnam and the United States, reactions to this obscure piece of American propaganda lead to larger discussions about how modern-day relationships between the living and the dead are carried out, asking what truths, if any, still echo within this recording. Free.

Created by the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, Ghost Tape No. 10 was one of many tapes engineered as part of Operation: Wandering Soul, a psychological operations campaign designed to intimidate and demoralize the North Vietnamese Army. These audio tapes would echo throughout war zones, their soundtracks consisting of actors portraying grieving family members or voices from the dead, longing to be reunited with their loved ones.

More information about this event

Location: 
Online (Zoom)
Sponsor: 
Anthropology Department
Contact: 
Anthropology Department