Cirrus@Austlit

As a young child Khoa Do left Vietnam on a fishing boat with his family. After staying in refugee hostels, the family settled in south west Sydney, New South Wales. Khoa Do received a scholarship to attend high school at St. Aloysius, and went on to study Arts-Law at the University of Sydney.

Khoa Do worked as an English teacher and job-seeking-skills volunteer amongst youths living in Cabramatta, and in 2000 he was awarded the Young Australian of the Year Award for his services in drama and working with youth in south west Sydney.

He wrote Delivery Day, which was nominated for an AFI Award and was screened at over twenty film festivals, winning numerous awards including the Golden Leopard for Best Short Film at Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland 2002.

In 2002, Khoa Do began voluntary work with disadvantaged youth at Cabramatta's Open Family Youth Social Services Centre in Sydney, New South Wales. He was asked to teach them film-making and decided to make a film with them. They developed a script based partially on their own experiences, with all the major cast members first time actors. The film, titled The Finished People, premiered at the Montreal Film Festival 2003 and was released by Dendy Cinemas.

Footy Legends, also set in the western suburbs of Sydney was released in 2006.

Khoa Do is the brother of comedian Anh Do (q.v.).

Source: Australian of the year Awards website, http://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/pages/index.asp (sighted 09/12/2008); Khoa Do website, khoa do.com.au (sighted 09/12/2008)