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SYNOPSIS

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Thousands of innocent people have become victims of Cambodia’s illegal land grabs, force-evicting poor people, stealing their land, and pocketing money from the US and other western nations meant for development. That is, until Cambodia’s strongman government finds itself up against an unlikely foe, a group of vulnerable women from one of the poorest neighborhoods in Phnom Penh. Young mothers living around Boeung Kak Lake (BKL) rally behind an elderly grandmother they call “Mommy” after forced evictions in their neighborhood erupts into violent clashes with military police. The BKL Women band together to launch a peaceful protest in defense of their homes and children, hoping to attract the attention of the US government, confident Americans will not look away once their plight becomes known. In the meantime, Mommy and other BKL Women suffer endless beatings, persecution, and imprisonment, which wins the admiration of thousands of land grab victims across the country, and earns the recognition of international human rights organizations. The BKL Women use their fame to inspire an opposition movement that sweeps the country and wins a national election. Only to have the ruling party steal it back and unleash a violent crackdown silencing all dissent as the international community looks the other way. When all appears hopeless for Mommy and the BKL women, the World Bank, in an unprecedented move, freezes loans to the Cambodian government until the BKL issues are resolved. In the end, the Cambodian government is forced to grant Mommy her land title, but only as the US increases its support for the corrupt ruling party, and the victims of illegal land grabs in Cambodia exceed 800,000 people. People just like Mommy. 

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CAST & CREDITS

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GARRET ATLAKSON - DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER, CINEMATOGRAPHER, EDITOR

PHILIP ATLAKSON – WRITER, PRODUCER

LY VANTHAN - COMPOSER

NGET KHUN “MOMMY” – LEAD

TEP VANNY – LEAD

YORM BOPHYA – LEAD

VENERABLE LUON SOVATH – LEAD

MU SOCHUA – SUPPORTING

OU VIRAK – SUPPORTING

PHAY SIPHAN – SUPPORTING

LONG DIMANCHE – SUPPORTING

DOUNG KHEA - SUPPORTING

RATH RATT MONY – ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, SOUND RECORDER 

LONG KIMHEANG – ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY

SUNDAY PHENG - TRANSLATOR

RAMON MENENDEZ – PROJECT ADVISOR

JON HAMMOND – EDITING ADVISOR

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TECHNICAL DETAILS

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PICTURE FORMAT: Color

ASPECT RATIO: 1.78 (16x9 VIDEO)

SHOOTING FORMAT: Full HD

EXHIBITION FORMAT: BLU-RAY, DCP, HDCAM

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