For updates on screenings of “The Left Eye of God, ” visit the website of USC’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture.

 

Caodaism, born in French Indochina in 1925, is a syncretistic blend of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Catholicism. The fall of Saigon in 1975 brought an exodus of refugees — and the religion of Caodaism ‑ to the state of California. In the new documentary film, "The Left Eye of God," Caodaists share firsthand accounts of Vietnam’s painful history and discuss their hopes for Vietnam and the United States.

The people behind the film

Project Director Janet Hoskins is an anthropologist who has been studying religion and culture in Southeast Asia since 1979. She is a professor at USC, where she has taught courses on Southeast Asian cultures for 22 years. Hoskins is currently completing a full-length book about Caodaism and has make presentations on the topic at conferences in both the United States and Vietnam.

Susan Hoskins is the director and editor of “The Left Eye of God.” She has worked for more than 20 years in television documentary production as an editor, sound editor and writer.