Art House Extra | ‘From Hell to Hollywood’

Some still photos are seared so deeply into our collective psyche that they can be conjured in vivid detail merely by their mention.

Case in point: “Napalm Girl.”

That single photograph of a young Vietnamese girl running naked from a napalm bomb that was dropped on her hamlet riveted the nation in 1972. It won the Pulitzer Prize for photographer Nick Ut, who went on to have a storied career with the Associated Press.

And now it is the linchpin of “From Hell to Hollywood,” which makes its North American premiere as part of the Kansas City FilmFest International, which is taking place virtually April 12-18.

Art House sat down this week with Ut and the other makers of the documentary to discuss the photo, the life of a famed news photographer and the lasting power of still photography.

“I think that the world would have lost a wonderful human being that Kim Phúc is without Nick taking that picture and being there to help get her to the hospital,” said Scott Templeton, a producer and editor of the film.

“It’s debatable, but I think the Vietnam War may have gone on a bit longer without this photograph.”

To learn much more about the film, watch the attached Art House video.