Dallas, TX -- 09/20/08
Thanks to everyone who showed up for Cocktails for a Cause! We had an overwhelming response and are so grateful for all your support. Please continue to help us get the word out and let everyone know about our website AgainstTheGrainProductions.com. Coming up next, our trailer was selected to screen at "Chick Flicks" on Thursday, October 2nd at the Angelika Theatre in Dallas. Please check out WIFDallas.org for more information.

Dallas, TX -- 07/29/08
We have officially wrapped production and are entering post-production. This will be a critical phase for us. We appreciate your positive thoughts and words of encouragement. ATG Against The Grain Productions, has launched its website, and the Board is busy planning our first "Cocktails for a Cause" fundraiser, benefiting ATG and Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam. If you are in town and would like to attend, please contact us. It will be a great night of friends united in a cause.

Dallas, TX -- 6/10/08
Some quick updates -- ATG Board members had a successful trip to Vietnam, giving to orphanages in Danang and Hue. Thank you to all who gave so generously! Pictures will be up soon in the gallery. The crew will head to St. Louis and Denver in July to tape final interviews, and the Board is planning a new website launch and benefit fundraiser for later this summer. We are also proud to announce that the Babylift trailer was accepted to screen at the inaugural Asian Adult Adoptee Gathering and Film Festival, presented this October in Honolulu by Korean Adoptees of Hawai'i! The trailer will be featured in the program on Saturday, October 11, at the Honolulu Academy of Arts' Doris Duke Theatre, a 290-seat venue showing a variety of international, independent films and documentaries, including avant garde and experimental work. Thank you all for your support and please continue to help us spread the word!

Dallas, TX -- 4/30/08
Our production team recently larned that the United States has decided to shut down adoptions in Vietnam starting September 1st, alleging that the Vietnamese government has allowed "corruption, fraud and babyselling." Read the full article 'here.' We will push on with our documentary and will keep all families who are waiting on their babies in our prayers. On a more positive note, the IRS has officially approved our 501(c)3 exemption status! If helping a worthy cause wasn't good enough reason, your generous donations are now tax deductible. Please go to 'Support' to find out how you can help out.

Dallas, TX -- 2/28/08
It's officially the year of the Rat. Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! We are still in hiaitus waiting on the adoption paperwork to be processed, and then we're heading back to Vietnam. Your support is greatly needed. We will be participating in several upcoming community events to show the trailer and discuss the progress of the film. Check out 'Screenings' for more info.

Dallas, TX -- 12/27/07
Everyone at ATG Against the Grain Productions wishes you a very happy holidays. Thank you for your support throughout 2007. We hope to have a big year ahead, including plans to travel back to Vietnam and finishing the documentary in time for fall festival submissions. As you make your holiday donations this year, please consider giving to this very worthwhile project.

Dallas, TX -- 11/27/07
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We are so thankful for all the support we have received throughout the year. Thank you all so much! In recent news, we learned that one of our own Babylifters will be going back to Vietnam to adopt a baby next year, so we have decided to delay completion to raise Vietnam trip funds to document this significant event.

Dallas, TX -- 11/1/07
Happy post-Halloween! We are still chugging along in post-production and still need to find more photos from adoptees and volunteers from Babylift on. Please contact us if you have any resources to help out. In press news, the film was mentioned in a 10/28 newsletter in Angry Asian Man and will be highlighted in the November magazine for Rainbowkids.org , which is an adoption advocacy website.

Dallas, TX -- 9/3/07
Happy Labor Day, everyone! It has been an exciting past few weeks for us. The film trailer played there times at the Asian Film Festival of Dallas and is now live on the website, on Youtube.com and Myspace.com. Please keep clicking on those sites, as we are also trying to reach 10,000 hits in the next few months. We have also updated the Gallery with more pictures from our trip to Vietnam and the Vietnam Heritage Camp in Denver, CO. This month, we are fast and furiously editing a rough cut to begin submissions into film festivals. Wish us luck!

Dallas, TX -- 8/20/07
Finally, the world premiere of the Operation Babylift trailer!!! The film trailer will play at the upcoming Asian Film Festival of Dallas before the two screenings of Duc Nguyen's "Bolinao 52" at 4:30 pm Friday, August 24th and 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 28th. We actually helped sponsor Duc's documentary on the Boat People, so please come out and support it as well! The trailer will be posted here on the film site, on our Myspace page and Youtube early next week, so keep checking back!

Denver, CO -- 7/24/07
We're gearing up again and heading to Denver August 10-12 to attend the VAN Colorado Heritage Camp, where older adoptees mentor young adoptees.

Dallas, TX -- 7/16/07
A link of the pictures from our Vietnam trip were sent out via KodakGallery. If you want a link to the gallery, please send us an email. Highlights will be posted soon. Also welcome filmmaker Barb Paresi, who joins our production team!

Dallas, TX -- 6/8/07
After 2 1/2 weeks in Vietnam, we're back home. "Amazing" does not begin to describe this last trip and what we experienced there. Altogether, your donations and our personal contribution brought in nearly $3,000 worth of assistance, which was used to buy medicine, supplies and food for needy children, orphans, homeless and the disabled at FIVE centers around Saigon, Danang and Hue. What an accomplishment, we exceeded our goal! Thank you all so much. In all, we took more than 1200 pictures, and the higlights of our journey with updates will be posted in the gallery in the week to come. Again, thank you all so much for your generosity of spirit. We'll be doing this again next year, so please feel free to donate as much and as often as your hearts allow. Peace!

Dallas, TX. -- 4/25/07
We returned from a great trip to D.C., having shot footage of the Vietnam Memorial, Jared Rehberg's performance at the fundraiser for "Voices of Adoption", met Pan Am's Clark Scott, and interviewed adoptee Tara Leaman. Now, we prepare for our upcoming trip to visit Vietnam May 10-24. While there, we plan to visit 3-4 orphanages to in Hue, Danang, and Saigon to distribute money and baby items. We are asking for donations that will be given to these institutions. You can be guaranteed that this money will be handcarried and delivered to each orphanage. If you miss donating to us for this trip, you can also help by donating to H.A.L.O (Helping and Loving Orphans), a 501(c)3 non-profit run by Betty Tisdale.

Washington, D.C. -- 4/16/07
From April 21-22, we will be in the Washington, D.C. area to attend another adoption documentary's fundraiser, see Jared Rehberg perform, and are looking for crew members from Pan Am and adoptees to interview.

Los Angeles, CA -- 2/16/07
We will in be Los Angeles taping more interviews from March 3-5. Included are Tiffany Goodson, DC Wolfe, and Canh Oxelson. If you are an adoptee in the area and would like to participate, please contact us. In the coming months, we will travel to Denver, CO; Washington, D.C. and Vietnam May 10-24! We need your continued support. Donations are welcome and appreciated! Investors will receive a copy of the finished film and on-screen credit.

Holmdel, NJ -- 2/6/07
On Saturday, February 17, at 1:00 p.m., the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation will host a screening, with discussion, of the 2006 Telly Award-winning documentary film, "Operation Babylift-Homeward Bound," accompanied by a ceremony recognizing the late President Ford for his part in the humanitarian mission known as Operation Babylift. This program will be held at the Vietnam Era Educational Center in Holmdel, NJ.

On April 3, 1975, United States President Gerald R. Ford announced that "Operation Babylift" would fly from Vietnam to safety in America some of the estimated 70,000 Vietnamese babies and children who were left orphaned by the Vietnam War. Thirty flights, combining private and military planes, transported at least 2,000 children to the United States and another 1,300 children to Canada, Europe and Australia. These children, born in a war-torn land, grew up as members of international, adoptive families. These adoptees and their families acknowledge President Ford, himself an adoptee, for the important role he played in insuring them a new life. Many will be on hand on Saturday to share in a ceremony honoring President Ford and in the presentation of this recently released film about their story.

In June of 2005, twenty-one Babylift adoptees, family members and Operation Babylift military and volunteer civilian service veterans returned to Vietnam on a diplomatic trip via World Airways-the first such trip recognized by both the United States and Vietnam-permitting these living legacies of President Ford's endeavor to return to the land of their birth. "Operation Babylift-Homeward Bound," a 17-minute film produced by World Airways, tells the story of that very special trip. Introducing the film will be Lana Noone, of Garden City, NY, mother of Jennifer Nguyen Noone, a Babylift adoptee, both of whom were part of this extraordinary journey. On behalf of the Vietnam Babylift 30th Anniversary Awards Committee, Lana Noone will present the Vietnam Babylift Award of Special Recognition, posthumously, to President Gerald R. Ford for his "extraordinary actions on behalf of the Vietnam Babylift." The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will accept the award on behalf of the Ford family and will add the award to the its permanent archives collection.

Dallas, TX -- 12/28/06
The country mourns the loss of President Gerald Ford, who spearheaded the passing of Operation Bill into law. You will be remembered and missed.
Dallas, TX -- 12/25/06
Happy Holidays, everyone! It's been such a amazing year. While we look for more particpants, we found an editor and have started editing and digitizling. Thank you for sharing your stories, for supporting the project, and sending in your generous contributions to help keep this film going!
Dallas, TX -- 11/05/06
Pictures and music are now up on the front page, courtesy of Ross Meador and Jared Rehberg.
New York, NY -- 08/22/06
We will be in New York over Labor Day weekend to tape more interviews, including adoptee and musician Jared Rehberg. Check out Jared's site and his song "Waking Up American."
Seattle, WA -- 08/14/06
Just got back from Seattle, and what an amazing trip. We interviewed Mark Slavik - an adoptee who is also a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy; Betty Tisdale - a volunteer of An Lac orphanage who helped save hundreds orphans; and Kelly & Chris Brownlee - married adoptees who are also founding members of Vietnamese Adoptee Network. New pictures are up in the Gallery.
Dallas, TX -- 08/12/06
The word is getting out about the project. Several of the Wagner High School alumni class of '75-'80 at Clark Air Force Base have sent us so many heartwarming stories of how they volunteered and were affected by Babylift. Thanks for sharing and for the support!
San Francisco, CA & Denver, CO -- 07/13/06
We are headed to San Francisco, CA 7/14-7/16 and will interview Ross Meador, then just a 19 year old 'hippie' who helped FCVN bring many adoptees to the US. Afterwards, we will be in the Denver area on 7/17 and 7/18 to interview babylift volunteers LeAnn Thieman and Sister Mary Nelle Gage; and adoptees Bert Ballard, and Jane Hopkins. We will be returning to Denver in the coming months. If you are a volunteer/adoptee/parent living in these areas and would like to particpate, please contact us.
Seattle, WA -- 07/23/06
Our next stop will be in Seattle, WA 8/12 and 8/13 to interview Betty Tisdale, Mark Slavik, and Kelly & Chris Brownlee. We are still looking for more adoptees who live in this area.
San Francisco, CA & Denver, CO -- 07/13/06
We are headed to San Francisco, CA 7/14-7/16 and will interview Ross Meador, then just a 19 year old 'hippie' who helped FCVN bring many adoptees to the US. Afterwards, we will be in the Denver area on 7/17 and 7/18 to interview babylift volunteers LeAnn Thieman and Sister Mary Nelle Gage; and adoptees Bert Ballard, and Jane Hopkins. We will be returning to Denver in the coming months. If you are a volunteer/adoptee/parent living in these areas and would like to particpate, please contact us.
St. Louis, MO -- 06/26/06
Just finished a trip to St. Louis, MO to interview adoptees Dan Bischoff and Jim Zimmerly, two survivors of the Galaxy C5-A crash.
Lubbock, TX -- 06/19/06
Went to Lubbock, TX to do intensive research at Texas Tech University's Vietnam Archive.
Hyde Park, NY -- 5/21/06
Traveled to New York to interview author and adoptee mother Lana Noone at the FDR Library. Almost thirty years after her death, Lana's adopted daughter, Heather Constance Noone, is recognized with a Congressional Certificate. Visit Lana's site dedicated to the Vietnam Babylift. and click on 'Images.'
News Update -- 5/7/06
In the next few months, we are excited to be traveling to these cities to record testimonials: If you are an adoptee, parent, or volunteer living in any of these cities and would like to participate, please contact us.