PHNOM PENH - As Cambodia commemorates the 50th anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge, three local outlets—Thmey Thmey, Cambodianess, and Angkor Info—sat down with two standout guests of the 14th Cambodia International Film Festival: Pin Yathay, author of Stay Alive My Son, and Victoria Bousis, the filmmaker behind its groundbreaking virtual reality adaptation.

Screened in over 28 countries, the VR experience transforms memory into an immersive emotional journey, fusing cinematic technique with empathy to spark healing and cross-generational dialogue.

A Father’s Promise, A Survivor’s Voice: Pin Yathay’s Journey from Tragedy to Testimony

First published in 1987, ‘Stay Alive My Son’ remains one of the most searing and enduring memoirs of life under the Khmer Rouge. More than a survivor’s account, it’s a universal call to remember, to resist forgetting, and to pass on the truth. Translated into twelve languages and read by hundreds of thousands, the memoir continues to move generations across the globe.

Born in 1944 in Oudong, north of Phnom Penh, Pin Yathay was a gifted student who rose to national acclaim after winning Cambodia’s mathematics competition while attending Sisowath High School. In the early 1960s, he earned a scholarship to study civil engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. Upon returning to Cambodia, he became Director of Public Works—an ascendant career suddenly cut short on April 17, 1975, when the Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh.

Deported with 18 members of his family to the remote province of Pursat, Yathay was plunged into a nightmare of forced labor, hunger, and disease. Two years later, only three remained: Yathay, his wife Any, and their six-year-old son Nawath. Weakened by starvation, Nawath could no longer continue. In an act of love no parent should ever face, Yathay entrusted him to another family—an agonizing choice that would haunt him forever.

Before letting go, he knelt beside his son and repeated the same words his own dying father had once told him: “Stay alive, my son.”

Soon after, tragedy struck again. As Yathay and Any attempted to flee to Thailand, she vanished into the jungle—lost forever to the chaos.

Those final words—tender, desperate, unwavering—became the title and soul of ‘Stay Alive My Son’. Written with raw intensity and piercing clarity, the memoir is, as Victoria Bousis put it during her festival remarks, “a story about a man who lost everything. It’s not just a memoir, it’s a plea to remember, to learn, and to ensure that no one else endures what he and millions of Cambodians did.”

By surviving—and by writing—Yathay transformed unthinkable loss into testimony. His deeply personal story became a voice for the millions silenced by genocide. Now 81, he still clings to a singular hope: that one day, he might find his son.

“I’ve been searching my son for decades,” he says. “Perhaps through my book, or through the VR film, he’ll see that I’m still here.”

From Book to Virtual Reality: The Story of an Extraordinary Encounter

In 2013, during a trip to Cambodia, Victoria Bousis stumbled upon ‘Stay Alive My Son’ in a modest bookstore near the gates of Angkor Wat. She had no idea that this chance discovery would alter the course of her life—and ignite the creation of a groundbreaking virtual reality adaptation.

A former prosecutor in Chicago, Victoria had already pivoted toward filmmaking and immersive technology after studying at MIT. But reading Pin Yathay’s memoir struck a deeper chord. The story echoed through her own lineage. Her Greek ancestors had endured centuries under Ottoman rule—marked by massacres, starvation, forced labor, and disease. More than 300,000 lives lost. The trauma of survival and the weight of memory weren’t abstract ideas to her—they were inherited truths.

In 2017, she traveled to Paris to meet Yathay and share her vision of reimagining his story in virtual reality. For Victoria, memory shouldn’t be buried or locked in pages—it should be felt, lived, and carried forward by new generations.

Yathay still recalls that first meeting. At first, he didn’t fully understand this unfamiliar language of virtual reality—but he trusted her. For nearly 50 years, he had fought to preserve memory, honor the dead, and tell the truth. Now, that mission would evolve—reaching new hearts through headsets, screens, and time zones.

What began as a chance encounter blossomed into a rare creative and human partnership—one that merged memory with technology to create more than just a film. It became a living, breathing archive of survival. Bold in vision and deeply human at its core.

Yathay was moved by Victoria’s courage, sincerity, and tireless commitment to understanding his story. In turn, Victoria found in Yathay a rare strength, quiet grace, and lasting inspiration. As she later said, she had discovered “a man and a people who turned pain into progress, loss into learning, and memory into a future.”

The virtual reality experience now fulfills two promises: the whispered words of a father to his son—“Stay alive”—and Victoria’s vision of a story that doesn’t just recount history, but invites us to step inside it, feel it, and carry it forward.

‘Never Again’: Cambodia and Humanity’s Duty to Remember

Through ‘Stay Alive My Son’—a memoir translated into twelve languages and now reborn in virtual reality—Pin Yathay and Victoria Bousis have come together around a shared belief: that memory is a duty, and personal stories can illuminate collective trauma.

As H.E. Dr. Phoeurng Sackona, Cambodia’s Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, reminded audiences during the festival’s opening ceremony, “Preserving memory, raising awareness, and honoring Cambodia’s resilience is vital.”

First presented at Phnom Penh’s Bophana Center as part of the special program “1975–2025: From Darkness to Light in Cambodia’s Story”, the ‘Stay Alive My Son’ VR experience has now come full circle—concluding its international journey in the country where the story began.

In partnership with the United Nations Cambodia and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the VR experience will soon become a permanent installation at the ECCC’s resource center—serving as a living tool for justice, memory, and education across generations. Over 200 students a day are expected to interact with it, ensuring its impact continues to grow.

Beyond the courtroom walls, a mobile, non-VR version is in development to reach rural and underserved communities throughout Cambodia. These efforts bring to life the “Never Again” principle embedded in the UN Charter—ensuring that remembrance does not end in silence, but drives awareness, action, and education.

Fifty years after the fall of Phnom Penh, as survivor voices begin to fade, ‘Stay Alive My Son’ (VR) endures as a luminous witness against forgetting. For Victoria Bousis, the five-year journey to bring this vision to life has been more than a creative endeavor—it has been an act of deep respect, and a personal bond with Yathay, whom she now calls family.

“Yathay taught me the power of the human spirit, the importance of family, of love, of memory, of roots, and the pride and resilience of the Cambodian people,” she reflects.

Produced by her company, UME Studios, the film has earned widespread acclaim, including the prestigious Producers Guild Innovation Award for its direction, character design, and social impact. Already available on Steam—the world’s leading gaming platform—a non-VR version will launch globally on April 17, 2025, making the experience more accessible to classrooms, communities, and homes around the world.

By entrusting Victoria and immersive technology with his life’s story, Pin Yathay has offered more than just a testimony. He’s delivered a promise kept, a legacy passed on, and a powerful reminder that the past must never be forgotten.

Cambodia’s genocide—like others throughout history—stands as a warning. Only remembrance can lead to justice. Only truth can lead to peace. And it is our shared duty to ensure that no human story is ever silenced again.