SIDE BY SIDE

Through simple daily routines in the chaining rhythm of nature, an elder couple revealed the truth of their marriage story during the Cambodian genocide (1975-1979) to their granddaughter

POLEN LY stopped his studies in medicine to pursue his filmmaking path in 2012. He has directed several shorts and documentaries, which explore social issues related to the environment, human rights, including LGBT+ and indigenous experiences. He was selected to join the International Writing Residency at the University of Iowa in the United States. In 2018, Polen joined the Asian Film Academy in Busan, Korea. In 2021, his documentary short, Side By Side won Youth Jury Prize, in the Open Doors section at Locarno Film Festival. His newest short fiction, Further AndFurther Away, received the SEA-Shorts grant from Singapore International Film Festival in 2020. Polen is now in early production on his first full-length documentary, The Tongue Of Water, which has received funding from IDFA (Netherlands), DMZ Docs (South Korea), and the Sundance Institute (USA).