Just Being There
Just Being There follows British photographer Colin Grafton, who arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1973, just before the Khmer Rouge genocide, and later volunteered in Cambodian refugee camps along the Thai border. Amid civil war, Grafton captured rare, intimate street photographs of daily life, revealing the beauty and humanity of Cambodia’s capital city. Years later, his camera would bear witness to the aftermath of the genocide, as thousands fled toward the border in search of safety and a new beginning.
The film revisits these images and the people within them. For many Cambodians and Cambodian Americans, such photographs of ordinary life before the genocide are almost nonexistent. By unveiling this rarely seen archive and tracing its resonance today, Just Being There restores a vital piece of cultural memory, one that bridges loss and survival, history and healing.
THIS FILM WILL BE RELEASED IN 2026: TRAILER COMING SOON
Awkun
Director of Photography for the Smithsonian’s film “Awkun,” directed by praCh Ly. In Cambodia, where the ancient city of Angkor once flourished, a temple sits on a man-made island in the middle of a reservoir. In Awkun (meaning “thank you” in Khmer), Cambodian American director praCh Ly shares a day in the life of the surrounding community, filmed on-site in West Baray and at the island-temple West Mebon. A fisherman navigates to the reservoir in his boat before dawn. A merchant woman barbecues skewered fish from the same waters. A group of young monks accepts offerings, eats, prays, swims, and takes a boat out to the temple. Through such everyday moments, Awkun draws attention to the often-overlooked relationships that bridge sacred and urban spaces, from past to present. This film was commissioned specially for our exhibition Vishnu’s Cosmic Ocean
Satook
Director of Photography for the Smithsonian’s film “Satook,” directed by praCh Ly which examines the transformation of religious traditions in Cambodian American communities through the ruptures of war and immigration. The film centers on four intimate conversations with survivors and the diaspora of the Khmer Rouge genocide, who share their personal experiences and memories of their parents, and reflect on their communities and journeys of belief. The film also examines the contemporary meanings of ancient sacred sites in Cambodia and considers more broadly the diversity and complexities of religion in four different locations in the United States.
Chhom Nimol
A short video profile for Cambodia Town about Dengue Fever’s singer Chhom Nimol as part of the 2021 Cambodia Town Virtual Parade & Culture Festival.
From the Heart of Brahma
Cambodian Classical Dancer, Prumsodun Ok, revitalizes and innovates an art form nearly lost to genocide in order to invoke discussions about the role of art in social change. Prum’s work for gay rights is embraced by many young Cambodian artists that look to art as a tool for social change, still traditionalists fear it threatens the fabric of Cambodian identity.
Sou Sotheavy
One of several documentary shorts on plaintiff’s in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. This short features Sou Sotheavy, the only known transgender survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide. Soon to be a feature documentary.
Calling Mother, Calling Father
This is an experimental documentary short commissioned for an art exhibit and also premiering at the Cambodia International Film Festival. The film is about Cambodia’s musicians who are also landmine victims. Part of a larger body of archival and documentary work surrounding these individuals.
Our Tribes Our Heritage
A film commissioned by environmental NGO Save Cambodia’s Wildlife, about indigenous tribes losing their livelihood due to environmental degradation. Directed by Sopheak Sao, edited by Robert Chhaing-Carleton.