Boomtown Babylon

Day 25

This is it. The final day in Peace City II. Frenzied last-minute shootery all over town, assisted by our beloved tuk-tuk driver and disgruntled Peace City II resident, Thyneon. Super-Smey was out on his own gathering Kodak-shot self-portraits at an unprecedented velocity, for us to bring back to Paris to test the first twin-narrative experiments using HonkyTonk’s bespoke interactive editing tool Klynt.

Together with Smey and one of the brilliant elders who has been connecting us with new characters since Day 1, we solidified our strategy for the next steps, leaving the four Kodak handheld mini-cams behind in the community for weekly gathering of new self-shot stories to add to our daily life atmospheric, interpretive and observational long shots courtesy of Mr Moon.

Our lil’ superstar Rachana finally showed up in the nick of time, swishing her long hair and hiding her pretty peepers behind giant shades, for the closing rooftop dancing shot against a blazing sunset.

Since Peace City II is handily located beyond the airport, we shot ‘til we could shoot no more and ended this intensely poignant month with the start of the month-long rock’n’roll super-fest that is Khmer New Year - the biggest deal EVER: a boogie in the streets climaxing with a sensational Vincent Moonwalk, to critical acclaim from the little ones. Once again: too excited to take a picture!

Farewell sweet Cambodia, you’ve been too good to us. Hope we can repay you with in some small way with a little Boomtown Babylon that does justice to your rich and complex kingdom.

Day 24

This morning we had the pleasure of in-depth interviewing the formidable Chan Vichet, leader of the Dey Krahorm resistance movement and general force of amazingness in the land exploitation struggle, aided by his lovely interpreter Boray. On our penultimate day in Phnom Penh, it was a conversation which brought us to the core of the myriad stories of displacement, powerlessness, boredom, and intractable marginality that define Boomtown Babylon thus far.

We took a little trip to the office of 7NG, located in obnoxious proximity to the soon-to-be destroyed White Building - on the former soil of the evicted Dey Krahorm community.

We wanted to talk to Mr Millionaire (that’s what they call him!) about his *questionable* relocation policies - and got remarkably far in our quest for an interview… But it will be a phone job as we only have 1 day left…

Day 22

Today was all about travelling shots following our ex-Khmer Rouge resistance fighter-turned farmer friend Nothsovann cycling through town with his little son holding on tight (screeny to follow).

We happed upon a family of seamstresses who make piecework for the factory - at a pittance of the rate earned by the factory girls.

Afternoon was spent in the dwindling food market, capturing the dozy emptiness of it all…

And finally some surreptitious afternoon shooting of the village chief, who we suspect has a lot to answer for - complete picture coming up in the doc…

Day 23

Oudong. In the shadow of a magnificent temple atop a sacred hill - a revered symbol of power and prosperity - lies a community in absolute powerlessness and abject poverty: 467 families who used to squat in the disused bus station of Peace City II after the Dey Krahorm evictions last year, were taken to this remote outpost four months ago and given plots measuring 4 x 6 meters, in a dug-out mud pit. No sewage, no electricity, no rice and 7 water pumps courtesy of a couple of Christian NGOs vying for souls to harvest…

Completely off the radar, they’re not classified as “internally displaced” and hence fall outside eligibility criteria for international aid organizations. Most of the rickety, self-built shacks have already been abandoned as families head back to Phnom Penh, renting pavement or slum-space back in the city where, they can continue their work in construction, market stalls, beauty parlours, etc.

We spoke at length with one of the community leaders, an extremely dignified man called Long Dara. His is the only family with i.d papers, and so his wife is the only one from the community who can work at the factory which lies 1km to the South of the settlement. She used to sell ice-cream, with the small stall she brought with her from Dey Krahorm - but very quickly went out of business

The only sources of food are dwindling supplies of shrimp and river fish, and canned goods brought back by people from Phnom Penh.

As families continue to pack up and head straight for the city, Long Dara is working hard to get i.d papers for more of the women who are stuck there, and petitioning hard for sewage and electricity - a tiny beam of hope in this most hopeless of situations…

Day 21

We finally found the street where the last evictees from the aforementioned ultra-violent and heavily criticized Dey Krahorm evictions last year. Still covered in scars from where rocks hit them, or fire scorched their skin, they live in the last desolate street before Peace City’s limits, amid rows of empty barracks.

They were really eager to shoot their self-portrait stories on the baby Kodaks, which we left with them as we had to whizz off… We returned an hour later, and they had passed the cameras along the street among their neighbours - totally unprompted. Incredible footage, filled with sadness and rage about what happened to them and the grim and constant future prognosis which looms ahead.

A security guard from the factory who we met yesterday as he bought some ice from our favourite ice-boy, was eager to talk so we met him on his lunch break.

He led us to the house he shares with his father, wife and baby, in the breezy little village which borders Peace City II…

Thrilled with the presence of the factory and a steady income after years of bare survival on the farm, he still only earns just enough for daily rice for the family - despite working 12 hour-days, 6 days a week.

Our next port of call was another of the fighters from Dey Krahorm - and the first person we have met who did not want to be filmed due to abject fear of repurcussion from the powers that be. She’s a fortune-teller who used to do quite well in the city centre and now can barely scrape together enough to feed her kids. Who wants their fortune read in Peace City II, when there is barely enough cash circulating for food, water and electricity?

Day 20

Back with a fresh mind from a wee break, and a splendid day of full-power non-stop shootery around the market, with our little buddy Neng (13) who works mornings as the toilet attendant and just started going to the new Korean NGO-run school in the afternoons.

Her family was offered a few square meters of land in Oudong, 40km from Phnom Penh, in a mud pit in where the last of the Dey Krahorm evictees were forcibly (illegally!) dropped off in handcuffs, when their homes were burnt and bulldozed by riot police and former neighbours (who were paid $5 for the privilege) at 4am in February last year. This family decided to try and make it in Peace City II instead, and squat in one of the half-finished buildings awaiting, their fate…

We followed Neng to school after she finished up at the market - and were met with the weirdest vision: a team of Korean NGO reps clad in glaring green armed with spades, buckets and video cameras, documenting themselves painting the school walls and cementing the pavement outside! Then we got a major ticking off from the altogether terrifying school ma’am (also Korean) and were told to beat it. Which we did (after a frank exchange of words).

Incidentally, the school is a stone’s throw from the Korean garment factory which provides the only secure source of income in Peace City II. Definitely something very dubious afoot here - watch this space, we WILL get to the bottom of it…

The afternoon was spent with the community who squats in one of the empty markets, a group who were promised housing in exchange for their land in the centre - but who are still waiting in limbo three years later.

We got a poignant and powerful self-portrait, Kodak-style, from our beloved ice boy: he sells ice non-stop in the punishing heat and dust of the central square, from 5am til 10pm 7 days a week, after his family’s farm in nearby countryside descended into destitution due to lack of demand.

The day ended with a magnificent vision: the gleaming, tattooed bodies of Peace City II’s boxing contingent beating the bejeezus out of each other in their daily training session. The sessions are run by Cambodia’s most revered boxing champ, who lives here too.

Tomorrow: the farmers who live next to the city, in reach of the electricity and water which the development of Peace City II has brought to the rural farmland - but unable to afford the extortionate prices…

Days 16 - 19

Quick diversion via Angkor Wat! What?!

Days 14 & 15

Woaaah, intense days of shoot-o-rama in Peace City II. From the squat settlement in the central market square flanked by a communal trash heap, to the airy home of our chappai musician and his dancer daughter, via the garment factory girls and the hub of trade that surrounds them (food, coffee, snacks), we captured myriad observational stories with the big semi-profesh camera - and the little Kodaks for self-shot elements by the people in our frames.

While the most marginal families feel they got a good deal with the pre-fab housing they were offered out here way beyond the city’s limits, many can’t afford to connect to water and electricity, so end up being unable to live in their new homes - and are forced to squat in half-finished buildings or haphazard tents instead. 

Meanwhile, the policy of blanket compensation for evictees from diverse social classes means those who had managed to save money and buy land from their inner-city earnings, now find themselves in peripheral housing, often less valuable than what they had before - and unable to earn anything at all in this new town of nothingness.

Enter: the garment factory. Almost every conversation we have includes a mention of the garment factory which provides the only steady source of income in Peace City II and it’s environs. Those who work their are grateful for the security - those who don’t, wish that they could. Girls too young for the factory’s minimum age of 18, eke out a living sewing piece work from at a 100th of the wage that the big girls get…

…And on we go with our little collaborative web movie, talking to the lovely Lina Srivastava and as many human rights / activist contacts as we can here in Phnom Penh to get our transmedia distribution strategy set up to ensure maximum IMPACT when we’re done.

Day Thirteen

Unlucky for some so they say, but guess we lucked out! A splendid day of static shooting, and lining up the next shots in our dust-addled minds for the stories we plan to record in the coming days.

We’re off to Peace City II tomorrow break’o’dawn for a few days of intensive, immersive expeditionry of the *deep inside* school (FYI we’ll be offline - searched in a 10-km radius for internet there today, but alas, “no have”).

Back before you know it with tales from within!

Day Twelve

A full night and day of tropical thunderstorms made for a delightful post-Apocalyptic feel in Peace City II today.

We shot some visually spell-binding village circus segments…

…and had some of our new little friends shoot their own stories with the mini handheld Kodak Zi6’s - so awesome, the young ‘uns take to it like ducks to water and say the most insightful things in their to-camera spiels.

The double narrative trajectory is taking hold and we’re consumed with excitement and motivation at how this is all taking shape! But at this moment my brain is filled with dust so I bid thee goodnight.