Khoa Do
Encyclopedia
Khoa Do born 1979, Ho Chi Minh City
, Vietnam
, is a film director, screenwriter, professional speaker and philanthropist who received the Young Australian of the Year Award in 2005. The Do family arrived in Sydney
as Vietnamese refugees in 1980. His brother is the comedian Anh Do
. Khoa received a scholarship to attend St Aloysius' College in Milson's Point, graduating in 1996 and went on to study Law and Arts at the University of Sydney
.
, especially the Vietnamese
community. In 2000, he was awarded the Young Vietnamese-Australian of the Year Award for his services in drama and working with youths in Sydney's south-west. A year later, Do commenced voluntary work with disadvantaged kids at Cabramatta's Open Family Youth Social Services Centre. He was asked to teach film-making to these 'at risk' youths and saw no better way to teach them than to go ahead and make a film with them. While at University Do worked as an English teacher and job-seeking-skills volunteer among the youth living in Cabramatta. For his efforts, he was awarded the 2001 Young Citizen of the Year Award (Bankstown City) and in 2003, he also received a Centenary Medal.
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, is a film director, screenwriter, professional speaker and philanthropist who received the Young Australian of the Year Award in 2005. The Do family arrived in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
as Vietnamese refugees in 1980. His brother is the comedian Anh Do
Anh Do
Anh Do is a Vietnamese Australian author, actor and stand-up comedian.He has appeared on many Australian TV shows such as Thank God You're Here and Good News Week, and was runner-up on Dancing With The Stars in 2007. He studied a combined Business Law degree at the University of Technology, Sydney...
. Khoa received a scholarship to attend St Aloysius' College in Milson's Point, graduating in 1996 and went on to study Law and Arts at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
.
Young Australian of the Year
Do was named the 2005 Young Australian of the Year for his "leadership, compassion, and will to inspire and inform Australians on issues that affect our communities."Philanthrophy
Do has been active in helping the under-privileged in South-Western SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, especially the Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
community. In 2000, he was awarded the Young Vietnamese-Australian of the Year Award for his services in drama and working with youths in Sydney's south-west. A year later, Do commenced voluntary work with disadvantaged kids at Cabramatta's Open Family Youth Social Services Centre. He was asked to teach film-making to these 'at risk' youths and saw no better way to teach them than to go ahead and make a film with them. While at University Do worked as an English teacher and job-seeking-skills volunteer among the youth living in Cabramatta. For his efforts, he was awarded the 2001 Young Citizen of the Year Award (Bankstown City) and in 2003, he also received a Centenary Medal.
Film Industry Awards
- In 2001, Do was nominated for an AFI Award for his screen play for the short film Delivery Day. The film tells the story of a young girl and her struggle to balance the demands of school, her mother and the family's backyard sweatshop and is based heavily on Do's own experience.
- In 2003, Do received the IF Independent Spirit Award for The Finished PeopleThe Finished PeopleThe Finished People is a 2003 documentary/drama about 3 youths living on the streets of Cabramatta, New South Wales. The film follows the stories of the three main characters; Des, Van and Tommy...
. In 2004, Do was nominated for two AFI Awards, three Film Critics' Circle Awards and two Australian Writers' Guild Awards for this film and for his community theatre. - In 2005, he was also awarded the Powerhouse Wizard Award, which "recognises emerging leaders in Australian innovation and achievement."
- In 2008, he was awarded the Phillip Parsons Young Playwright's Award.
- In 2009, he was awarded the DIGISPAA award for his film Missing Water (later released as Mother FishMother FishMother Fish, also known as Missing Water, is a feature film written, produced and directed by Khoa Do. The film draws largely from Khoa Do's own experiences as a Vietnamese refugee, and reflects on the perceived fear in the general population generated by 'boat people' which is prevalent in...
), and also received the CRC Award for the same film at the Sydney Film FestivalSydney Film FestivalThe Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
. For the same film he has subsequently won prizes at the Orlando Film Festival, Canada International Film Festival and Vietnamese International Film Festival.
Selected filmography
- Delivery Day (2001)
- The Finished PeopleThe Finished PeopleThe Finished People is a 2003 documentary/drama about 3 youths living on the streets of Cabramatta, New South Wales. The film follows the stories of the three main characters; Des, Van and Tommy...
(2003) - Footy LegendsFooty LegendsFooty Legends is a 2006 Australian film, directed, written and produced by Khoa Do, starring his older brother Anh Do, Angus Sampson, Emma Lung and Claudia Karvan. It was filmed in and around Sydney, Australia, mostly in the western suburbs...
(2006) - Mother FishMother FishMother Fish, also known as Missing Water, is a feature film written, produced and directed by Khoa Do. The film draws largely from Khoa Do's own experiences as a Vietnamese refugee, and reflects on the perceived fear in the general population generated by 'boat people' which is prevalent in...
(2010) - Falling for Sahara (2011)