WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21 (SESSION 16)
Director/Producer: Joel Gershon
Description:
Cirque du Cambodia follows the journeys of two teenagers from
rural Cambodia living out a classic fantasy – running away and
joining the circus. But it isn’t just any circus they dream about;
they are determined to become the first Cambodians to perform
with Cirque du Soleil.
Biography:
Joel Gershon is a journalist, documentary filmmaker, and
professor in media studies, currently teaching at the School of
Communication at American University in Washington D.C. In 2017, he
came back to the US after living abroad in Bangkok for 12 years,
where he worked as a TV reporter and producer, writer, and university
professor. He stumbled across the magical school Phare Ponleu Selpak
in Battambang, Cambodia in 2011, and from that experience, Cirque
du Cambodia was born. He surrendered to the flow while chasing
this extraordinary story and filming was done in four countries over
six years to capture Sopha and Dina’s improbable quest to become
the first Cambodians to perform with Cirque du Soleil.
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