Lenetene's Spinning Tops

Overview

This film focuses Lenetene people of the village of Ban Nam Chan in the Houaxay district of Bokeo province. Their life cycle, in which they slash and burn one area of the mountainside, move on after a year or two, and eventually return to the same location, was similar to the rotational movement of the wooden spinning tops the tribe's young men skillfully wield in a traditional game. Sam-ok applied for the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie screenwriting grant and was the last qualifying screenplay. He won a grant of 40,000 francs ($16,000) U.S., which enabled him to produce Lenetene's Spinning Tops on a Sony U-matic High-Band.