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
Bopha Oul, Phanny Loem
Cambodia
2022
In Bunong and Khmer with English subtitles
Featured in:
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.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Everybody to Kenmure Street
This rousing documentary (100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) never puts a foot wrong as it recreates a tense, prolonged stand-off between the police and the citizens of Glasgow when an Immigration Enforcement squad attempt to arrest two men from their homes.
Boyz n the Hood
Twenty-three-year-old writer-director John Singleton's groundbreaking portrait of three young men growing up in South Central is a film of integrity and compassion. It's a far richer portrait of Black lives than Hollywood's gangsta exploitation pics.
Romería
An orphan from a young age, 18-year-old Marina intends to pursue a university scholarship. The application, however, requires the signatures of her paternal grandparents, compelling her to embark on a pilgrimage and seek out the family she has never met.
Democracy Under Siege
As the USA turns 250, Oscar-nominated director Laura Nix considers the roots of the current political crisis with commentary from historian Heather Cox Richardson, progressive politician Jamie Raskin, and cartoonist Ann Telnaes, among others.
Peter Asher: Everywhere Man
A chart topping pop star as one half of Peter and Gordon, Peter Asher was brother to Jane, brother in law to Paul McCartney, ran the Beatles' Apple, produced and managed James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and 10,000 Maniacs, to name just a few. He did it all.
Credits
Producer
Sophea Kim, Daniel Mattes, Davy Chou
Screenwriter
Polen Ly
Cinematography
Polen Ly
Editor
Kavich Neang
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.