• Society

Voices: Artists and Filmmakers Launch the Conversation so People Can Speak of their Own Hurt

• By Michelle Vachon
• June 10, 2024 10:50 AM

PHNOM PENH — The issue addressed in the art exhibition and film event held this month at Meta House is one that some women and also men have faced the world over. But, depending on the society and situation in which they live, they may or may not get assistance and protection, or even moral support, when they reach out for help. 

Entitled Voices, the exhibition opening June 10 at 6 p.m. and the film series taking place June 11 through June 16 address the topic of sexual violence, which can take many forms. 

“In Cambodia, it is sensitive to talk about sexual violence because you will act rude and it’s very uncomfortable to talk about it,” said Cambodian filmmaker Kol Vicheka who took part in the organization of the film event. “That’s why this event is designed to make a place for people who want to talk so they can do so.” 

Vicheka’s documentary film on Meta House’s first Speak Out Sisters’ Women Film Festival, which was held in early 2024, is to be shown during this event. 

According to the U.S. National Sexual Violence Resource Center, “sexual violence means that someone forces or manipulates a person into unwanted sexual activity without their consent.” People refusing someone’s advance may be of any age, from children to the elderlies, and those attempting to sexually abuse them can be acquaintances, family members, trusted individuals, strangers, or even spouses, the center explains. 

“I would like to tell…Cambodian men and women, and especially women, to join this event because it is designed specifically for us, Cambodian people, not foreigners,” Vicheka said. In some cases, she said, “the films maybe are a bit hard to watch because it’s like a new topic for us but if we don’t talk about topics such as sexual violence, there is no solution for us and we have issues. That’s why we should come, see the films and then discuss the issues freely.”

The privacy of those attending the events will be respected, Vicheka said. She intends to film during the event but someone who does not wish to be seen only has to let her know, she said. 

Among the Cambodian and international films shown is the 2019 film “Grey Feather” about the cultural clash a young Cambodian woman and an older Australian man come to have in their life as a couple. The documentary film “Somewhere under the Rainbow” is about a Cambodian woman thrown out by her family at 14 because she was transgender, who was imprisoned and raped during the Khmer Rouge regime and who, at 84 years old, has been attempting to create a support network for sex workers in Cambodia. 

The international film “This is where I learned not to Sleep” by Kirsten Kelly and Anne De Mare tells the story of a decorated policeman who tries to put an end to domestic violence being mishandled and covered up by his own police force in the U.S. city of Nashville. Films from several countries including Nepal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Australia are also presented. 

Painting by Cambodian artist Sopheak Lach. Photo: Emilia Emminghaus

The art exhibition entitled “Voices” features Cambodian men and women artists as well as a few foreign artists. These include works of established artists such as Sou Sophy and Van Chhovorn from Battambang province who studied at the NGO Phare Ponleu Selapak Arts School. At one point, Chhovorn worked on a fishing boat in slavery conditions in Thailand until he could escape. 

There are works by Kaeu Sreypeou, the first Cham woman to have graduated from the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, and a performance on video by Cambodian American Amy Lee Sandford. 

Ny Sreyroth who, while working in Pattaya in Thailand 18 months ago, was caught by two Western men and tortured with acid and knife, contributed an artwork entitled Fight for Freedom. 

The exhibition also includes creations made by people who were helped by two NGOs—Daughters of Cambodia that helps sex workers switch to other ways to make a living, and A21 that works at rescuing men and women, children or adults, caught in human trafficking. 

As explained Emilia Emminghaus of Meta House who worked on both the film event and the exhibition, “the Voices [exhibition and film presentation] is to gather the older generation and the young generation...That’s why we reached out to different contexts…The exhibition now showcases voices of a lot of young females [which]is an important part [of prompting] intergenerational dialogue.”

The art exhibition “Voices, Women in Arts and Media” is held at Meta House from June 10 through July 21. For more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/2298083577064694/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D  

The film festival “Voices” organized by Meta House’s “Speak Out, Sisters” program with support from the NGO Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA), is held from Jun 11 through June 16.  Entrance is free. For more information: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122149372346190246&set=pcb.122149372586190246 

Meta House is located at 48 Street 228 in Phnom Penh. 

Sculpted artwork by Cambodian artist Sou Sophy. Photo: Bun Rith Suon