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Director’s Profile

Neang Kavich studied music and dance from a young age before graduating in professional design from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in 2013. He directed his first short film, A Scale Boy (2010), as part of a documentary film workshop led by Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh. This was followed by a mid-length documentary, Where I Go (2013), which was also produced by Rithy Panh and screened at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, among others. In 2013, Kavich joined the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Academy. His first narrative short film, Three Wheels (2015), premiered at Busan International Film Festival and later won the Youth Jury Award at the Singapore International Film Festival. He has directed another short film, Goodbye Phnom Penh (2015), which was commissioned and subsequently screened by Asian Film Archive. In August 2016, Kavich attended the Summer Academy at the Festival del film Locarno, where he also screened Three Wheels.

Synopsis

Samnang, Tol, and Ah Kha are teenaged neighbors in the White Building, the inner-city tenement where the boys have lived together all their lives. Samnang now lives alone ever since his mother moved abroad for work. The boys dream their dance routine could reach the stage of the Cambodia’s Got Talent television contest, but their youthful habits are upended after the appearance of a mysterious woman in the hallway of the building and after Ah Kha unexpectedly reveals to his friends that he will move to the United States.

In a brief intermission from the boys’ narrative, a real White Building family complains in an interview about new construction next door, the dilapidated state of the building, and their plans to move out.

Weeks after Ah Kha’s departure, Samnang’s mother calls to say she will not return to Cambodia. He and Tol still plan to audition for the television contest, but they are disturbed by changes in the White Building, noticing a series of unexplained robberies. As they search for explanation, the mysterious woman reappears and the boys find most of their neighbors have moved out.

A few weeks later, Samnang and Tol arrive in Phnom Penh from the countryside, where they now live. They perform their television audition, and the crowd enjoys the show. Later that day, Samnang arrives at the White Building only to find it demolished.

Achievements

2021 Busan International Film Festival
2021 Venice International Film Festival - Best Actor in Orizzonti
2021 Tokyo FILMex - In Competition
2021 Singapore International Film Festival - In Competition
2021 BFI London Film Festival
2021 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival
2021 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
2021 Chicago International Film Festival
Released in Camboda

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