The title which recently received the Special Jury Prize at Hot Docs is set to screen at the festival which runs from June 2nd-11th.
Kelly also produces the project with Edwina Forkin of Zanzibar Films, Christopher Hird of Dartmouth Films and Bob Moore of Montreal-based EyeSteelFlm as executive producers.
The film’s compelling original soundtrack comes from UK artist James Holden.
‘A Cambodian Spring’ is an intimate and unique portrait of three people caught up in the chaotic and often violent development that is shaping modern-day Cambodia; mothers Toul Srey Pov and Tep Vanny, and Buddhist monk Venerable Sovath.
With the crew spending nine years on the film, six of which were dedicated to shooting, the film charts the growing wave of land-rights protests that led to the ‘Cambodian Spring’ and the tragic events that followed. This film is about the complexities – both political and personal, of fighting for what you believe in.
Chris Kelly, Director:
“‘A Cambodian Spring’ is for me a deeply personal film, which took nine years to complete. It is an exploration of what motivates us, what gives our lives meaning, and what happens when our personal desires colour and shape our actions. It is an unapologetically subjective portrait of my time in Cambodia, of the people who shared their lives with me and of the shifting landscapes, both physical and emotional, that I found there.”
