Film archive, 2025

Becoming Human

Director Polen LY

2Festival entries

★Avg. rating

In Battambang, an old cinema faces demolition. Hai, a journalist, sneaks inside to say goodbye. He encounters Thida, the theatre's guardian spirit facing the prospect of rebirth. Bound by a shared sense of loss, their intergenerational friendship bridges past and present in a rapidly urbanizing nation. As humanity fails to safeguard its heritage, the ghost becomes the sole vessel tasked with preserving memory for civilization's sake. Blending historical trauma with modern redevelopment, Ly's debut film explores where cultural memory goes when physical spaces disappear, and finds resilience to move forward.

Stills5

Film details

Director: Polen LY
Country/Region: Cambodia
Year: 2025
Length: 99min
Original language: Khmer
Elsewhere: Letterboxd IMDb Wikidata TMDB Douban

Director

Polen LY

Born in Kandal, Cambodia in 1989, Ly Polen is a self-taught filmmaker who has directed several films and documentaries. His debut feature, Becoming Human, premiered at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival. His 2024 documentary Until the Orchid Blooms premiered at IDFA and Singapore. He is an alumnus of Biennale College Cinema, the Prince Claus Fund's CAREC Fellowship, Busan Asian Film Academy, Docs by the Sea, and Locarno Filmmakers Academy.

From Tokyo International Film Festival 2026, No. 39

Credits

Director: Polen LY
Producer: Daniel MATTES
Cast: Savorn SERAK, Piseth CHHUN
Screenplay: Polen LY
Cinematography: Son DOAN
Production design: Bandiddh PRUM
Editing: Kavich NEANG
Sound: Vincent VILLA
Music: Jean-Charles BASTION, Pierre Édouard DUMORA
Production company: Anti-Archive

Festival appearances2

Choose a festival entry to see its screenings, articles and audience reviews.

Becoming HumanTokyo International Film Festival 2026, No. 39CROSSCUT ASIA+

Becoming HumanBusan International Film Festival 2025, No. 30A Window on Asian Cinema

Festival history2

东京国际电影节, 2026CROSSCUT ASIA+, Official selection 釜山国际电影节, 2025A Window on Asian Cinema, Official selection

Film posters

Poster language