Jimmy in Saigon

Original Score by John McDowell and Sabina Sciubba
Premiered at the British Film Institute’s Flare Festival, March 2022
Soundtrack to be released digitally, 2023

Let The Sunshine In digital release (Spotify)

Jimmy in Saigon explores the mysterious death, radical life, and forbidden romance of a 24 year old Vietnam veteran who died in Saigon in 1972. Jimmy’s rejection of his family’s values and his eventual death created deep trauma within the lives of his surviving family and complicated how he was remembered.

Director Peter McDowell, Jimmy’s younger brother, was only 5 years old when Jimmy died under a shroud of secrecy and shame. Jimmy in Saigon follows Peter’s 10-year search to uncover secrets surrounding Jimmy’s sexual orientation and rumored drug use. Peter finds surprising connections with his deceased brother and struggles to reach a new understanding of his own identity as a gay man.