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Becoming Human

Chiet Chea Manusa
dir. Polen Ly
Cambodia 2025, 99’
subtitles: Polish and English

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Polish premiere
Theatrical Screenings
Sa 14 Nov, 18:45
Kinomuzeum
Kinomuzeum
Post-screening debate: How Does Cinema Draw Closer to Spirituality?
Post-screening debate: How Does Cinema Draw Closer to Spirituality?
Su 15 Nov, 17:30
Kinomuzeum
Kinomuzeum
Performative lecture "What Is Spirituality?" ~40 min
Performative lecture "What Is Spirituality?" ~40 min
Online Availability
10 Nov, 10:00 – 6 Dec
Additional Materials
Awards and festivals
World premiere: Venice International Film Festival 2025 Jogja-NETPAC Asian FF 2025 - Golden Hanoman Award Cambodia's submission for the 99th Academy Awards (Best International Feature Film)
Credits
Cambodia 2025
Duration: 99’
director: Polen Ly
screenplay: Polen Ly
cinematography: Son Doan
editing: Kavich Neang
music: Jean-Charles Bastion, Pierre Édouard Dumora
sound: Vincent Villa
cast: Savorn Serak, Piseth Chhun
producer: Daniel Mattes
production: Anti-Archive
language: Khmer
colouration: colour
Media partner

Film description

The spirit of a place, embodied as a young woman, wanders through the ruins of an abandoned cinema in contemporary Cambodia, observing a world that is not always kind. Amid the remains of a venue that still echoes with its cinematic heyday, she remembers times gone by. As the last traces of her former home slowly disappear before her eyes, the guardian spirit meets a young journalist. Together, they contemplate whether she should return to the world of the living or, once the building has been completely demolished, remain a wandering soul.

In his feature-length debut, Polen Ly – a member of the Anti-Archive collective – invites viewers to drift gently through memories and reflect on a world that is slowly disappearing. This melancholic journey becomes a tender love letter to the golden age of Cambodian cinema, while also serving as a quiet plea to remember the tragedy that irrevocably cut short its history. Cambodia is home to many spirits who wander without an anchor, forgotten by all. Through Becoming Human, Polen Ly seeks to bring the past back into public discourse, as Cambodian society continues to grapple with its legacy. The film is Cambodia’s official submission for this year’s Academy Awards.

A performative lecture will take place before the screening on November 17 at 5:30 PM at Kinomuzeum – an interdisciplinary exploration of how spirituality manifests itself in the contemporary world.

The lecture will be led by Łukasz Mańkowski, Artistic Director of Five Flavours.

text:
Łukasz Mańkowski

Polen Ly

A Cambodian director and screenwriter. In 2012, he dropped out of medical school to pursue a career in filmmaking. His work focuses on social issues and the relationship between humans and nature. He gained recognition for his short films: the documentary Side by Side, which received an award from the youth jury at the Locarno Film Festival, and the narrative short Further and Further, which premiered at the Berlinale and went on to win an award at the Palm Springs International ShortFest. His feature-length fiction debut, Becoming Human (screened at the 20th Five Flavours), premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

Filmography:

2012 Konsrey ning Phka Sla / Daughter and the Palmae Blossoms (kr. m.)

2012 Iva (kr. m.)

2014 Duetto (kr. m.)

2015 Colorful Knots (kr. m.)

2017 Red Ink (kr. m.)

2021 Side by Side (kr. dokument)

2022 Coraz dalej / Further and Further Away (kr. m.)

2024 Until the Orchid Blooms (dokument)

2025 W ludzkiej formie / Cheate chea mnoussaea / Becoming Human

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