Michael Rubbo had originally gone to Vietnam with the goal of making a documentary about the work of
Foster Parents Plan with Vietnamese war orphans. Once there, when confronted with the enormity of what was taking place, he felt a film about this humanitarian operation was missing the real story. Rubbo's NFB producer,
Tom Daly, supported him in his efforts to rethink the film. Rubbo recorded his own subjective observations in a diary and developed the idea for what would be the first of his
self-reflexive documentaries with the NFB. In
Sad Song of Yellow Skin, Rubbo often comments on his own actions within the film, expressing his doubts, fears and concerns, reminding the viewer they are watching a film and not an objective representation of reality. The film had a budget of $72,484. ==Awards==