Description

Thirty-five-year-old Kosal Khiev was forced to flee Cambodia to the United States as a 1-year-old refugee. Later forcibly returned to Phnom Penh as an exiled “criminal alien,” he is a volatile, charming and talented young poet whose life begins to change when he is invited to represent Cambodia at the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

As an infant, Kosal was one of 280,000 Cambodian refugees granted asylum in the United States after fleeing massive US bombing campaigns and the Khmer Rouge genocide. Fully American in all but citizenship, Kosal and thousands of others received prison time for serious youthful mistakes and were punished again with deportation.

Kosal wrestles with the contradictions of being banned from home for life, making his way with his fellow exilees who face depression, substance abuse and suicide while finding new freedom as an international poet.

Credits

Producer: Masahiro Sugano, Anida Yoeu Ali
Editor: Masahiro Sugano
Cast: Rob Abee, Khosal Khiev, Khun, Sokha

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