Light After Darkness: Memory, Resilience and Renewal in Cambodia with Angelina Jolie

A panel discussion with Angelina Jolie, Rithy Panh, Phloeun Prim and Loung Ung, moderated by Darren Walker

Asia Society and Cambodian Living Arts present:

In conjunction with Asia Society’s exhibition After Darkness: Southeast Asian Art in the Wake of History, and the CLA presentation of Bangsokol: A Requiem for Cambodia at BAM.

From periods of trauma and struggle follow remarkable tales of courage and renewal in the face of adversity. Such is the story of Cambodia, which endured one of the worst genocides in history only to reemerge once again as a culturally rich and vibrant nation. To talk about this collective journey of resilience — remembrance and creative paths forward — Asia Society and Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) welcome Oscar-winning actress, filmmaker and producer Angelina Jolie; acclaimed Cambodian film-director Rithy Panh (Oscar nominee for his film, The Missing Picture); Executive Director of Cambodian Living Arts Phloeun Prim; and author of the memoir and screenplay First They Killed My Father, Loung Ung. The conversation will be moderated by President of the Ford Foundation, Darren Walker. Their bold work shows us how artists are sensitive commentators of their historical moment, as well as an integral part of the often long process of reconciliation and recovery from historical trauma.

This panel coincides with both the U.S. premiere of musical and cinematic ritual performance of Bangsokol, a Requiem for Cambodia directed by Rithy Panh and composed by Him Sophy (premiering at BAM on Dec. 15-16) and the current Asia Society Museum exhibition, After Darkness: Southeast Asian Art in the Wake of History, which looks critically at the voices of artists working through radical socio-political change within their societies. The exhibition is currently on view at Asia Society Museum through January 21, 2018.

“Some have said that poetry after atrocity is not possible anymore, yet we must continue to create. We can’t start mourning without knowing how, and part of knowing how is to accept something very painful, something unexplainable …it is more than an act of remembrance, it’s an act of transmission and brings humanization.” – Rithy Panh