Communication and (Dis)Connection in Diaspora: Jean-Baptiste Phou’s ‘Cambodia, Here I am,’ and ‘My Mother’s Tongue’
When: 4 p.m.
Where: 370 Dwinelle Hall, South Dr, Berkeley, CA 94720
Sponsor(s): Center for Southeast Asia Studies, Department of French, Berkeley Language Center, Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, Institute of East Asian Studies, Center for Race & Gender, Asian American & Asian Diaspora Studies
About the Event: Author, actor, and filmmaker Jean-Baptiste Phou screens two works that explore protagonists’ yearning and attempts to connect with other people and places across seemingly insurmountable differences wrought by traumatic histories and forced displacement.
First, Phou will screen an excerpt from his stage play, Cambodia, Here I Am. With a premiere in Paris in 2011, Cambodia, Here I Am, focuses on the meeting of four women at an immigration office, where they share their stories and aspirations. Sophea is a young, second generation French-Cambodian woman. Her obsession: find her roots and follow her mother’s path. Sovandara is a newcomer. She gave up her life to marry a French man she met in Cambodia. Mom is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. Now divorced, she is determined to adopt a child in her country of origin. Metha is a middle-aged, first generation woman. She left Cambodia before the fall of Phnom Penh, and now she has to return to her native country to see her dying mother.
This screening will be followed by a screening of Phou’s short film, My Mother’s Tongue, which tells the story of a mother and son who don’t share a common language. She was born in Cambodia in a Chinese family and he was born in France, educated in the local school system.The son runs away from his heritage and eventually settles in his parent’s native land, in a quest to get closer to his roots and his mother. They still have difficulties communicating, until something unlocks when she suddenly falls very ill. The emotional journey unfolds through a series of animated drawing vignettes that draw the viewer deeper into the inner world of a son seeking understanding and to be understood. After the screenings, Phou and Professor Penny Edwards from the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies will bring these two works into conversation to expand on their shared themes and provocations.
About the Speakers:
Jean-Baptiste Phou was born in 1981 in Paris to Chinese-Cambodian parents. As an actor, he has performed in plays and musicals in Cambodia, USA and France. His film credits include Rithy Panh’s Oscar-nominated documentary ‘The Missing Picture’ (2013) and Erick Zonca’s TV movie ‘White Soldier’ (2014). Phou wrote and directed the play ‘Cambodia, Here I Am!’, performed in French and Khmer and also directed the short film ‘My Mother’s Tongue’ (2022) that received the Public’s Choice award at the 29th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema. He is the author of ‘Coming Out of My Skin’ (Seagull Books, 2023) and ’80 mots du Cambodge’ (L’Asiathèque, 2024). His works explore issues of identity, exile, and the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge genocide. Since 2017, he has made his home in Phnom Penh where, until late 2020, he headed Creative Programs for the NGO Cambodian Living Arts.
Moderator: Penny Edwards, Walter and Elise Haas Professor of Asian Studies and Professor, Southeast Asian Studies
If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or information about campus mobility access features in order to fully participate in this event, please contact Alexandra Dalferro at adalferro@berkeley.edu with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days before the event.
Alexandra Dalferro, cseas@berkeley.edu, 510-642-3609