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Further and Further Away film image, director Polen Ly

Further and Further Away

Chhngai Dach Alai / ឆ្ងាយដាច់អាល័យ

Canadian Premiere

A young Bunong woman and her older brother spend one last day in their rural Cambodian village before a move to the city in search of a more prosperous life. This is an almost documentary-like look at two very different people: he is an unsympathetic realist whereas she is connected to nature and spirituality. It’s a relaxed and languid observational drama about the distances—both metaphorical and literal—that exist within our lives, our surroundings, and how we view our ancestry. The beautiful scenery, the landscapes of solitude, and an overall feeling of despair and hope combined are evoked with very little dialogue. The film is reminiscent of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria, unspooling information through beautiful camerawork and an intricate but unadorned sound design.

 

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Bopha Oul, Phanny Loem

Credits
Country of Origin

Cambodia

Year

2022

Language

In Bunong and Khmer with English subtitles

Film Contact
24 min

Featured in:

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International Shorts: Family Ties

The bonds of family form the basis of this program of short films. Bonds with history and responsibility—sometimes close, sometimes strained—now and for the future.

 

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Credits

Producer

Sophea Kim, Daniel Mattes, Davy Chou

Screenwriter

Polen Ly

Cinematography

Polen Ly

Editor

Kavich Neang

Director

Polen Ly headshot, Further and Further Away director

Polen Ly

Polen Ly paused his studies in medicine to pursue his filmmaking path in 2012. He has directed several shorts and documentaries which explore social issues related to the environment and human rights, including LGBT+ and Indigenous experiences. His short film Colourful Knots (2015) won first prize at Tropfest South East Asia in Malaysia. In 2018, Ly joined the Asian Film Academy in Busan, Korea. His documentary short, Side by Side (2021), was selected in the Open Doors section at Locarno Film Festival. Ly is now in early production on his first full-length documentary, The Tongue of Water.