The Red Sense - a view from 'down under'

A new film, called The Red Sense, by first-time Khmer-Australian director Tim Pek, deals with the Khmer Rouge Regime, and the upcoming trials, from the perspective of younger Khmers living in a western country. Actress Sarina Luy (pictured), plays the role of Kong Jan Melear, a thirty-something Khmer woman living in Australia, who discovers that her father’s killer is living freely in a first world country - an opportunity her father was never given. The film deals with her personal struggle as she tries to decide what the correct course of action is. Sarina Luy arrived in Australia in 1995 from New Zealand, after having left a refugee camp in Thailand in 1991.

Filmed in Australia, with real Khmer actors and actresses, Director Tim Pek elected to have 80% of the dialogue in Khmer (with English subtitles). His hope is that the film will motivate Cambodians to forget the past and to focus on the future. The film is scheduled for an independent release in Australia in November 2006, along with a public release in Phnom Penh. You can see the film trailer and photos here.