The Last Refuge (Le Dernier Refuge)
VIEW EVENT DETAILSMargaret Mead Film Festival Presentation
Part of the 2015 Margaret Mead Film Festival
Co-presented by Margaret Mead Film Festival and Asia Society
Theater 1
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NYC
Dirs. Anne-Laure Porée and Guillaume Suon 2013 | 65 minutes | Cambodia, France
In the heart of Cambodia, the Bunong people have inhabited the forest for over two thousand years, practicing animism and living in close accord with their natural environment. Recently, though, the region has fallen victim to one of the world’s most aggressive deforestation campaigns, with 2.85 million hectares of Cambodian forest leveled for rubber cultivation. The Last Refuge, produced by celebrated Cambodian director Rithy Panh and directed by Anne-Laure Poreé and Guillame Soun, follows a young woman from the community as she returns to document the devastation of the environment and the resistance by the Bunong people.
This program highlights the work of the Bophana Audiovisual Center. Co-founded by Cannes-award-winning director Rithy Panh (The Missing Picture, 2013), the center is dedicated to restoring and protecting Cambodian audiovisual heritage and training new filmmakers.
Preceded by One Dollar Shorts —The Guide Boy, Lady Stone, and Minister of Papaya.
The Guide Boy
Dir. Phally Ngoeum |2014 | 8 minutes | Cambodia
On a mountain known equally for its mythical associations and its history during the Khmer Rouge period, 12-year-old Chre works as a tour guide, eking out a meager living. Though his hardships seem insurmountable—his mother died when he was a toddler and his sister migrated to Thailand, leaving him the sole provider and caretaker of his sick father—his resilience is their equal, as he dreams of getting an education and improving his professional prospects.
Lady Stone
Dir. Roeun Narith |2014 | 9 minutes| Cambodia
At the foot of the mountains in southern Cambodia, a woman scrabbles in the white dust to turn rocks into pebbles, which she will sell for 35 cents a sack. She once owned land, but malaria carried everything away: her money, her rice field, and her husband. Selling the pebbles with plans to seek employment in Phnom Penh, she tenaciously hangs on to hope and a new life in the big city.
Minister of Papaya
Dir. Roeun Narith | 2013 | 8 minutes | Cambodia
Armed with a brightly colored motorbike, a wide smile, and an engaging sense of humor, Mao Bora roams the streets of Phnom Penh selling papayas and bringing positive energy wherever he goes. This small but mighty film is a joyful reminder of how the simplest actions can produce hope and inspiration.
Event Details
Theater 1 American Museum of Natural History Central Park West at 79th Street New York, NYC