The Flute Player

An integral part of the forthcoming Cambodian Living Arts tour of the UK starring Kong Nay and Ouch Savy, two of Cambodia's master Chapei musicians, will be an hour-long documentary about the life and work of Arn Chorn-Pond, called The Flute Player. The tour kicks-off in Norwich on 19 July and a full list of dates can be found here. Arn Chorn-Pond was nine years old when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia in 1975 and separated him from his family. Now, after living in the United States for over twenty years, Arn returned to Cambodia to save its once outlawed traditional music from extinction by founding Cambodian Living Arts, formerly known as the Cambodian Master Performers Program. The documentary film, produced by Jocelyn Glatzer, was first premiered in July 2003 as a POV showcase on PBS television in the US. POV provides an excellent website to accompany the film, which also has its own website.

Other PBS stories on Cambodia include Pol Pot's Shadow in October 2002 for the Frontlineworld series and two Independent Lens' film-sites for the documentaries Sentenced Home and Refugee. PBS, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is a non–profit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 354 public television stations. A trusted community resource, PBS uses the power of non-commercial television, the internet and other media to enrich the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services that inform, inspire and delight. Available to 99% of American homes with televisions and to an increasing number of digital multimedia households, PBS serves over 75 million people each week.