Directed by Enrique Sánchez Lansch • Documentary • 2024 • 101 minutes
Chea Samy was a renowned soloist in Cambodia’s royal dance ensemble in the 1930s—and Pol Pot’s foster mother. After marrying his older brother, she raised him as her own until he vanished into the underground. In 1975, like millions of Cambodians, she was forced into labor, only realizing years later that the boy she raised was the Khmer Rouge leader. One of the few dancers to survive, she returned to Phnom Penh to teach, preserving traditional dance. Her student, Sophiline Cheam, now a successful choreographer, explores Cambodia’s past, including Pol Pot’s little-known connection to classical dance.
Up Next in Dance (collection)
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Young, Black and Gifted: Diversity at...
Directed by Virginie Plaut, Youcef Khemane • Documentary • 2025 • 58 minutes
At age 20, Guillaume Diop risked his career to sign a manifesto against racism at the Paris Opera. But just three years later, he was named a Danseur Étoile — a star dancer — in the Paris Opera Ballet, one of the world’...
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Ema (Pablo Larraín, w/Gael García Ber...
Directed by Pablo Larraín • Drama • With Mariana Di Girolamo, Gael García Bernal • 2021 • 107 minutes
Adoptive parents Ema (Mariana Di Girolamo) and Gastón (Gael García Bernal) are artistic free spirits in an experimental dance troupe whose lives are thrown into chaos when their son Polo is invo...
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Pastor: Four Movements
Directed by Joanna Rechnio • Documentary • 2024 • 70 minutes
Pastor: Four Movements is an intimate documentary that profiles Krzysztof Pastor, the renowned Polish dancer and choreographer affiliated with the Dutch ballet school. The film delves into Pastor’s creative process, showcasing his work...
