More catch up

So much to mention, I'm sure I'll miss a few things out but here goes. It's Khmer New Year next week - when Phnom Penh will resemble a ghost-town as the city residents head out to the provinces to spend time with their families - and our office has given all staff a 4-day break starting Monday. I'll be spending my time locked in my apartment catching up on the guidebook I've been editing for far too long now. It's taken a bit of a back-seat and I need to get my finger out to get all of the content, layout, etc, etc to the publishers ready for publication early next year. I've found editing other people's work to be much harder than just penning a piece myself. Wish me luck, I'll need it. A recent directive from the capital's governor has informed residents here in the city to stop hanging their wet washing on balconies and along sidewalks as it makes the city untidy and "is jeopardizing the dignity and honour of Khmer citizens, who used to be highly civilized". From time to time we get these weird and wonderful instructions. The helmet law, for moto-drivers only whilst passengers are not required to wear them, remains in place but revenue from fines is down as the police decide standing on the side of the road to stop motos in the hot weather of April isn't such a good idea afterall. When the weather cools a bit, the police will be back out in force, also equipped with brand-new speed cameras and breathalyzers I hear. The Phnom Penh Post today revealed what everyone already knows, that bag-snatches and robbery is on the increase in Sihanoukville, whilst the head-in-the sand authorities insist their figures show an opposite trend. Who are they trying to kid? Too many people, including a friend of mine who had her very expensive camera snatched recently, say otherwise.

Meta House continues to be one of my regular venues. Last night I listened to Erin Gleeson talk about an art show, Forever Until Now, she is currently curating in Hong Kong, which is taking the work of 14 Cambodian artists to another country, and seems to be doing very well thank you. The artists include old schoolers like Svay Ken, Rithy Panh and Vann Nath and some of the up-and-coming new breed too. There's also an exhibition of Khmer artists just about to open in Long Beach, California. Cambodia still has a long way to go to get its traditional and contemporary art out into the world marketplace and it's best galleries but it's making steady progress, from very humble beginnings. Just before everyone disappears for the New Year, Meta House will re-screen the documentary Out of the Poison Tree this Friday and on Saturday (both events begin at 7pm), will host the first Hanuman Film Night with Nick Ray and Kulikar Sotho giving their personal take on making films and documentaries in the Mekong region. One documentary that will make its debut very soon is We Want (U) To Know, by filmmaker Ella Pugliese, who took cameras to a village in Takeo province and let the villagers tell their own stories about how they survived the Khmer Rouge. It will be shown at the Chenla Theatre on 7 May. Talking about the KR, the Tribunal this week has been hearing testimony from S-21 chief Duch, mainly about his previous role in another secret prison known as M-13, whilst the first witness, Francois Bizot, who wrote The Gate, about his encounters with Duch in 1971, took the stand on Wednesday. The trial is expected to continue for months to come. Whilst I'm keeping track of what is happening, I've decided not to report the Tribunal events in detail on my blog, as other websites are far better at dissecting what is being heard. Here's one.

For those interested, here's the draft cover of the guidebook I'm editing, called To Cambodia With Love - A Travel Guide for the Connoisseur, to be published by ThingsAsian Press. Look out for an early 2010 publication date.

A look behind the scenes

This coming Saturday (11 April) at 7pm is the first-ever Hanuman Film Night and it will take place at Meta House (near Wat Botum) in Phnom Penh in order to provide a taste of some of the diverse film and television work that the company has been involved in since it began in 2000. If you are planning a shoot, they're the ones to get things done here in the Mekong region, whether its scouting and managing locations, getting permissions, providing extras, building sets, transport, costume, you name it, they've done it on countless productions all over the area. Their initial claim to fame was doing all the donkey-work to get Tomb Raider filmed in Cambodia, which was no mean feat, though they'd worked on the Lonely Planet Cambodia tv programme before that. Nick Ray and Kulikar Sotho, the two people behind Hanuman Films, will be on hand to introduce examples of their work, to answer questions and to give you an insight into what goes into making the slick documentary, film or advert that you see on the screen. The screenings will include the award-winning Timewatch: Pol Pot (BBC, 2005) and the Top Gear Vietnam Special (BBC, 2008) together with two shorts: selected parts of the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, the first Hollywood film for 36 years to be set in Cambodia, and a recent Pepsi Commercial that went global.
Also showing at Meta House this coming Friday (10 April) will be the second screening of Beth Pielert's Out of the Poison Tree documentary that follows Thida Buth Mam and her sisters on their voyage of discovery to Cambodia. It's a 7pm start, so if you missed the first screening, make sure you attend this one.

Poison Tree redux

The second screening of Beth Pielert's Out of the Poison Tree documentary that follows Thida Buth Mam and her sisters on their voyage of discovery to Cambodia, will take place at Meta House near Wat Botum on Friday 10 April at 7pm. If you missed the first screening, make sure you attend this one.

First time in Cambodia

I've got a bee in my bonnet about films and documentaries that concentrate on Cambodia but haven't yet been shown here. There's been an explosion of films about Cambodia in recent years yet many have not been screened here for the general public, hence the reason why I arranged last night's Out of the Poison Tree screening at Meta House. It's an important film that gives Cambodians a voice about their own past, and with the Khmer Rouge trials about to begin in earnest, it was very timely and relevant. I was pleased with the size of the audience, all the seats were taken and the feedback on the film afterwards was very positive. I know Beth the director and Thida, the main subject, were very happy that their film was shown here and we now plan to show the film again in next month's Meta House programme. I took some screen captures including two of the most poignant moments in the film, where widow Lech Buon said she is still waiting for the return of her husband after 30 years, and 16-year old schoolgirl Davey Heng, who spoke so eloquently of her desires for justice. My thanks to Nico at Meta House for putting the film into the programme and I hope to get some more films shown there in future months.

Thida Buth Mam and her sisters return to Cambodia to find the truth

Schoolgirl Davey Heng who spoke so eloquently through a flood of tears

Widow Lech Buon is still waiting for her husband's return, 30 years on

Some of the audience at last night's first-ever screening here of Out of the Poison Tree

The long search for justice

The above is the headline in today's Lifestyle section of the Phnom Penh Post newspaper. The article is credited to me and is effectively the Q&A I did with Beth Pielert and Thida Buth Mam, the director and main subject of the film Out of the Poison Tree, that gets its Cambodia premiere at Meta House tomorrow (Saturday) night at 6.30pm. The article is already on-line at the PPP website here.

Cambodia premiere

This coming Saturday (14th March) at 6.30pm, the first screening in Cambodia of the documentary film Out of the Poison Tree will take place at Meta House, next to Wat Botum in Phnom Penh. Don't miss it. It's the story of a family's search for truth about the horrific years of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. It's relevancy is so appropriate with the first of the Khmer Rouge trials soon to take place, some thirty years after the regime was toppled. It's an opportunity to hear what today's Cambodians think about justice and forgiveness.
Filmmaker Beth Pielert's beautiful and moving film follows Thida Buth Mam and her two sisters back to Cambodia to find out more about the disappearance of their father, Buth Choen and to hear first-hand from Cambodians about the necessity for justice, a trial and forgiveness. Perhaps the most poignant plea for justice comes from a teenage schoolgirl, Davey Heng, standing amongst her classroom peers, in a flood of tears, but determined to state her point of view. As the Khmer Rouge Tribunal readies itself for the trial of Comrade Duch, this film is aptly timed for the voice it gives to ordinary Cambodians as well as well-known figures like Youk Chhang and Aki Ra. Archive footage and music from acclaimed Long Beach artist praChly complete the picture.

A faded picture of Thida Buth Mam's father, the subject of their return to Cambodia to search for the truth

Inside the Poison Tree

Thida (left) and Beth (right) filming Out of the Poison Tree at Angkor

This coming Saturday (14th March), the first showing in Cambodia of the documentary film Out of the Poison Tree, will take place at Meta House (next to Wat Botum) at 6.30pm. Filmmaker Beth Pielert's beautiful and moving film follows Thida Buth Mam and her two sisters back to Cambodia to find out more about the disappearance of their father and to hear first-hand from Cambodians about the necessity for justice, a trial and forgiveness. The most poignant plea for justice comes from a teenage schoolgirl, Davey Heng, standing amongst her classroom peers, in a flood of tears, but determined to state her point of view. As the Khmer Rouge Tribunal readies itself for the trial of Comrade Duch, this film is aptly timed for the voice it gives to ordinary Cambodians as well as well-known figures like Youk Chhang and Aki Ra. Archive footage and music from Long Beach artist praChly complete the picture. I urge you to come along to Meta House and watch this film. Below is a two-person interview with Beth and Thida to give you more details about the film and their personal views.
Q. Where did the idea for the film come from?
A. [Beth] In 1998 when I finishing up my short film Kiss My Cleats, I was visiting family on the East Coast and I shared a ride to the airport with Henry King Jr., a former junior prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials. Meeting Henry sparked an idea for a film about 'Right Livelihood' where people who were exposed to great injustices like the Holocaust worked in careers that helped bring justice to the victims. The summer of 1999, I was spending time with Henry and researching other potential subjects when my mother handed me an article from the New York Times that featured Craig Etcheson and his work at the Yale Cambodian Genocide Studies Program. As I was in Connecticut already, I was able to meet Craig and interview him on camera. In doing so, I learned more details about the Khmer Rouge regime and the long-overdue need for justice. By that time, Craig had already co-created The Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) and encouraged me to get to Cambodia in person as the trial in his opinion was bound to happen soon (this was 1999). In 2000 I flew to Cambodia with my step-father Robb and together we spent 10-days exploring Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and interviewing survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime to better understand their desire for justice and what they had lived through. It was after we journeyed to Siem Reap and Robb discovered Aki Ra and the Landmine Museum that I became hooked on the story of healing and reconciliation for Cambodia. This was the year 2000 and personal stories of healing and reconciliation for survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime were not yet prevalent. I began production in earnest on Out of the Poison Tree in 2001.

Q. How did you and Thida meet?

A. [Beth] I met Thida Buth Mam in 2002 through Maureen Phalon who knew Anne Weills, co-creator of CORKR. By 2002 I had already shot interviews with the Director of DC-Cam, Youk Chhang and Aki Ra, in addition to a former Khmer Rouge soldier and loads of smaller interviews all of which made up the framework for the film. But, I was in need of a contemporary component, an arc that could join stories from the past with the present. I always thought this would be the Trial but, unfortunately for the people of Cambodia and the film, that was taking forever to materialize. Anne suggested I meet with Thida, who had lived through the regime and who could potentially serve as a consultant. Thida and her incredible family were so generous with their time and stories that Thida went from consultant, to translator to Associate Producer of the film. When Thida phoned one day in late 2004 to say that she and her sisters were returning to Cambodia specifically to look for her father Buth Choen, I requested that I film her and their journey and they generously agreed.

Q. When did filming take place in Cambodia? How long did the process take from start to finish?
A [Beth] There were 3 trips to Cambodia: the first was a research, pre-production trip in 2000, the second was the first production trip in 2001, and the third and final production trip took place in 2005 with Thida and her sisters. The film took seven years from concept to completion: 1999-2006.

Q. What do you hope people will take from the film?
A. [Thida] For me, I want to tell the Khmer Rouge genocide story. If we look into the reasons the Khmer Rouge had which led to the genocide, they were all reasonable, especially when a nation is under dictatorship or oppression, it can happen again, especially in Cambodia. The Cambodians must know themselves well to prevent this from ever happening again. Also, I was hoping to give voice to the victims of Cambodia. I hope I represent them well. Cambodians should be fearful of the return of the Khmer Rouge the same way the Americans are afraid of another Vietnam War.
A. [Beth] There are several things that I hope people take away from Out of the Poison Tree, the foremost being - understanding. Understanding what it was like to be a country like Cambodia caught in the middle during a time of great political tension between the US and Vietnam. The fallout from economic stress caused by the US bombings, starvation and military dominance helped enable the Khmer Rouge to come to power. I also wanted to provide a sense for what it was like from the victim's point-of-view and how this unquenched justice spans the generations as you see with Heng Davey, the young school girl. I wanted to provide a sense for the 'choiceless choice' position many of the soldiers of the Khmer Rouge Regime were in - for many of the Khmer Rouge soldiers it was truly kill or be killed. Finally, I wanted to capture some of incredible beauty that is uniquely Cambodian both in landscape and in the Khmer people. My one regret is that I didn't adequately capture the humor of Thida and her sisters, a humor and lack of bitterness that truly amazes me to this day.

Q. Thida, is the search for your father now complete? What did your Mum think of the film?
A [Thida] No, I decided to stop. I don't think I can deal with finding out more details. Every time we find out a small fact around my father's fate, I went crazy in my head and heart. I think it is best that I don't know. I have many years more to live and I don't want to live with that horrifying story of my father. Basically, I went searching the truth about my father and found the truth about me, I cannot handle the truth. As for my mum, she is like me, she cannot handle the truth. She discouraged us from going and never asks me about it. When I bring it up, she starts crying, so I stop bringing it up.

Q. What are your hopes for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal?
A. [Thida] Many things, here is my short list:

1. They (all of the Khmer Rouge leaders) admit to their crime.

2. They apologize.

3. They explain to us why they did what they did.

4. They tell us who else was behind this. China? Vietnam? Thailand?

5. That this practice of law or justice, will make the Cambodian judiciary system better.

6. Acknowledgment of a brutal time in Cambodia where history will be well written and that my generation feel that we have done our best.

7. The Genocide story will stay alive.
A. [Beth] In many ways I wish that the Khmer Rouge Tribunal had been created in the image of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission out of South Africa. I think that granting amnesty to the perpetrators may have expedited the Trial and yielded more details about the 'how and whys' of the Khmer Rouge which would help create an accurate account for the history books, help the world understand how this could happen so as to prevent future Khmer Rouge and most important enable Khmer Rouge leaders to say to the Khmer people: 'I did this, this is why, I know it was wrong and I'm sorry'. That said, I know Duch just said he was sorry which is huge. Admission and remorse - finally! I also echo Thida's wishes and my hope is that there are clear consequences, however late they may be, for the egregious acts that were committed during the Khmer Rouge and that they are enforced and examples are set for a better government in Srok Khmer.

Q. Finally, Thida will you return to live in Cambodia?
A [Thida] I have bought some land where I plan to build a home when I can afford it. I hope, in my retirement, to live in Cambodia most of the time. I hope I can contribute back to my homeland.

Note: If you wish to purchase the dvd, visit Beth Pielert's GoodFilmWorks website.

Stories of Cambodia

How many budding filmmakers come to Cambodia and put together their own documentary? I reckon there are quite a few out there, for instance I recall attending a screening in the UK a couple of years ago now by two young guys straight out of film school and here's another twentysomething film student who has produced his own independent documentary, filmed exclusively in Cambodia. 22 year old Charles Duncombe and his girlfriend Larissa Kalnins came here early last year to document the trials and tribulations at a volunteer school in Siem Reap in their film Stories of Cambodia. The film will get its premier screening in Australia on 16 March and you can find out more about it here.

Staying on the film front, I've just got a copy of the March program at Meta House and the highlight for me will be Saturday 14th March and the first-ever showing in Cambodia of Out of the Poison Tree. It starts at 6.30pm. Don't miss it, especially as I was the one who persuaded the filmmaker Beth Pielert to screen her film here. It gives Cambodians a voice about the Khmer Rouge period and the current trials, so its very relevant to today. What else catches my eye during the month? Well, there's a mix of Cambodia-linked films, with Burma, the rainforest of Borneo, Vietnam and much more. Of the former, Changing the World on Vacation, this Saturday looks promising, as does We Want You To Know!, a film project featuring rural Khmer Rouge survivors by Ella Pugliese (Sunday 22nd). The Dey Krahom evictions aren't forgotten and Erik Lofting's Red Earth Village film will be shown on Wednesday 25th, whilst Stanley Harper's evocative Cambodian Dreams gets a re-run on Saturday 28th. One of the exhibitions coming up soon that will capture Phnom Penh through the eyes and paintings of Chhim Sothy and Ian Whittaker is The Life of The Streets, which kicks off on 31 March. Meta House is next to Wat Botum on Street 264 and deserves your support.

Changing lives

I haven't seen the monthly listings for Meta House (next to Wat Botum in Phnom Penh) yet but this coming Saturday (7th March) at 6.30pm they are showing Changing the World on Vacation, an intimate portrayal of the grassroots organization PEPY (Protect the Earth Protect Yourself), their founder Daniela Papi and the NGOs efforts to support children's education in rural Cambodia with the aid of 'volun-tourism.' With over 1,500 charities working in Cambodia, this is a chance to take a first-hand look at what one such organization does and how it affects the people on the receiving end. It's 90-minutes long and the director is Daniela Kon. Should be fascinating. Find out more here.
Don't forget, on Saturday 14th March at Meta House, the first showing in Cambodia of the documentary Out of the Poison Tree will take place. Thida Buth Mam returns to Cambodia with her two sisters to discover what happened to their father during the murderous Pol Pot regime and how justice and reconcilliation is viewed in light of the current Khmer Rouge Tribunal.

Out of the Poison Tree

The postman delivered a small package today and in it was the dvd for the documentary film Out of the Poison Tree, direct from the filmmaker Beth Pielert, and now available to be seen for the first time in Cambodia, at Phnom Penh's Meta House on Saturday 14th March, at 6.30pm. Beth's beautiful and moving film follows Thida and her two sisters back to Cambodia to find out more about the disappearance of their father and to hear first-hand from Cambodians about the necessity for justice, a trial and forgiveness. The most poignant plea for justice came from a teenage schoolgirl, Davey Heng, standing amongst her classroom peers, in a flood of tears, but determined to state her point of view. As the Khmer Rouge Tribunal readies itself for the trial of Comrade Duch, this film is aptly timed for the voice it gives to ordinary Cambodians as well as well-known figures like Youk Chhang and Aki Ra. Archive footage and music from Long Beach artist praChly complete the picture. Saturday 14th March - don't forget the date. If you wish to purchase the dvd, visit Beth Pielert's GoodFilmWorks website.

Thida, Beth with camera and Aki Ra

Rasmei Buth holding a photo of her father, Bun Choen

Interviewing survivors for the documentary

Catch-up

To give you a breather from my posts on my epic bicycle ride around the walls of Angkor Thom (which seems never-ending to me so goodness knows how you feel about it), I wanted to catch-up with a couple of items. The Oscars came and went last weekend and Steven Okazaki’s documentary film The Conscience of Nhem En (or lack of conscience would be more appropriate) didn't make it into the winner's envelope. Nevertheless, it has received great reviews and should be aired on television sometime soon in the States. If Steven would like to send me a copy of the dvd, we'll get it shown in Phnom Penh too. Steven I mean it, send me a copy. Meanwhile, Nhem En continues to seek money from anyone who'll give him some, for his Khmer Rouge museum in Anlong Veng.
On the subject of showing documentaries in Phnom Penh, Beth Pielert has despatched her Out of the Poison Tree film to me and with the help of Nico from Meta House, we hope to show the film on Saturday 14th March. I'll confirm it as definite once I have the dvd in my sweaty palms. This will be the first showing of this intriguing documentary in Cambodia so I hope it'll draw a big crowd of interested onlookers, especially with the currency of the Khmer Rouge trials so high at the moment. More to follow - I hope.
One of my favourite people is the renowned Angkor scholar Dawn Rooney. I count myself as very fortunate to have known Dawn for many years now and she has always been a mine of information and helpfulness personified. In a mini catch-up, she tells me she's recently completed her latest book, Khmer Ceramics, Their Beauty and Meaning, which has just gone to the publishers, following on from her last book, Ancient Sukhothai, Thailand's Cultural Heritage, published by River Books. When she's not lecturing, in her spare time, she's part of the Thai-Cambodian team on the Living Angkor Road Project and has just joined the Board of Trustees for the Center for Khmer Studies in Siem Reap. Another friend is due in town tomorrow, namely Denise Heywood (pictured), lecturer, journalist, photographer and author of the new book Cambodian Dance, as well as one on Ancient Luang Prabang. She will give an illustrated talk on her new book at Monument Books on Norodom Boulevard on Thursday 5th March. I know from experience what a wonderfully evocative speaker Denise is, so I urge you to attend.

Moving away from Cambodia and onto music, I informed you about Yaz Alexander's new 9-track mini-album Cry for Freedom here with its focus on roots and culture reggae, though Yaz is a woman for all seasons and her next album is already in the works, with a release date of October, and which will contain elements of soul, r-n-b, hip-hop and jazz, with productions from Sly & Robbie, Montell Jordan and Beres Hammond likely. Also in the works are three forthcoming concert appearances; 7th March at International Women's Day; 4th April with Mighty Diamonds, both in Birmingham, and 12th April with Beres Hammond and Maxi Priest at Wolverhampton.

Two great friends of mine, Selwyn Brown from Steel Pulse with Yaz Alexander

A chance to speak

One documentary film that is very relevant to what's been happening this week with the Khmer Rouge trials beginning in earnest is Beth Pielert's Out of the Poison Tree, that gives a voice to victims of the Khmer Rouge and was shot on location in Cambodia and the United States back in 2006. With the trial of Comrade Duch now underway and the involvement of civil parties in a trial of this nature for the first time, it's more important than ever to hear from those who were personally affected. Out of the Poison Tree has never been shown in Cambodia. I've been trying to get that rectified with a screening at Meta House in the next month or so. I'll let you know if I'm successful.

Pielert's hour-long film follows Thida Buth Mam and her sisters' search to unlock the mystery of their father's disappearance in 1975. Her quest allows her to meet many people personally affected by the events of the 'Pol Pot time' and a desire to uncover the truth about what took place and why. These include Youk Chhang, the Director of DC-Cam, Arn Chorn-Pond, Aki Ra, Arun Sothea and the Venerable Yos Hut Khemacaro, while music will be supplied by Long Beach rapper praChly. Thida and her family's story has already been told in two books, authored by JoAn D Criddle under the titles, To Destroy You Is No Loss (published in 1987) and Bamboo & Butterflies : From Refugee to Citizen (published in 1992). She has been a speaker on genocide issues for many years, has appeared on US daytime tv show Oprah and has been a long-time advocate of the Khmer Rouge tribunal. Thida was also featured on Steve McClure's film Rain Falls From Earth.

Filmmaker Beth Pielert with Thida Buth Mam