On Friday, September 25, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., in partnership with the Vietnamese American Heritage Community of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma History Center Museum will host a screening of the documentary New Wave. The film explores the young subculture of displaced refugees searching for identity in Southern California, building a safe community space through 1980s Vietnamese American new wave music.

The subjects of the film experienced teenage rebellion, with mile-high hair, underground clubs, and listening to synthesized sounds, while coping with the bittersweet emotions of being far from home. In making New Wave, filmmaker Elizabeth Ai was on a mission to excavate an untold story of rebellious punks in the chaotic world of 80s Vietnamese New Wave until she uncovers a hidden past.

A Q&A will follow the screening with Lynda Trang Đài, a Vietnamese performer and singer. She is featured in the documentary.

Lynda Trang Đài: As a teenager she burned up the stages in Orange County which landed her a spot on the famed Vietnamese diaspora variety show, Paris by Night. Lynda’s hailed as the “Vietnamese Madonna” and a trailblazer in the Vietnamese diaspora entertainment scene for the past forty years, shares a glimpse into her teen ambitions, “I used to lie to my parents, telling them I was going to church, but really, I was putting makeup on in the car and going to the nightclubs to sing on stage.” Known for her provocative performances that pushed boundaries, Lynda not only mirrored Madonna in her musical influence but also in sparking widespread controversy.

The screening is free to the public, but the museum galleries will be closed. No registration is required.

This film will be shown in conjunction with the Our Journeys traveling exhibit, presented by Vietnamese Boat People. This multimedia traveling exhibition will be on display at the Oklahoma History Center through January 4, 2027.

Watch the New Wave Documentary trailer.

About the Director:

Elizabeth Ai is an Emmy Award-winning producer, filmmaker, writer, and archivist whose work explores identity, memory, and cultural survival. Her debut feature documentary, New Wave, premiered in competition at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, earning a Special Jury Mention for the Albert Maysles Award for New Documentary Director, and won the Grand Jury Award for Best Feature Film at Viet Film Fest—the first time the honor was awarded to a Vietnamese American woman in the festival’s 21-year history. Acclaimed by The New York Times, Vogue, and IndieWire, she is also the author of New Wave: Rebellion and Reinvention in the Vietnamese Diaspora.