Films
NEW WAVE
NEW WAVE
• 2.15pm, SAT 8th NOV , 2025
GOLDEN AGE CINEMA & BAR
Co-presented by Groovescooter for
with First Film Festival
Director: Elizabeth Ai
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Australian Premiere presented in Honour of Paris Groovescooter for First Films 2025
Receiving a Special Jury Mention for Best New Documentary Director at Tribeca 2024, Elizabeth Ai’s debut New Wave is a vivid exploration of her relationship with a Vietnamese music subculture. The film centres on her investigation of “new wave,” the popular 1980s musical phenomenon in the United States featuring Vietnamese artists and singers with big hairstyles, defiant attitudes, and joyful, infectious energy, a sound and style that shaped Ai’s own upbringing.
Ai reconnects with the movement’s icons, including Lynda Trang Đài, who has performed in Sydney, and Ian “DJ BPM” Nguyen, tracing how their creativity and fearless spirit influenced their lives and the community they built. Through intimate interviews, epic archival performances, and glimpses into everyday life, New Wave reveals the humour, audacity, and resilience of a generation that refused to be invisible. The film also reflects on Ai’s personal journey, intertwining family, music, and memory into a celebration of identity, art, and self-expression.