Private Project

Mina Pchum Ben

In Banteay Meanchey, a province in the Northwest of Cambodia, many migrate to Thailand for work. But Mina, a girl born into a poor farming family, dreamed of becoming a graphic designer. With her parents’ support, she moved to Phnom Penh to study.
From year to year, she has been busy with work and studies, leaving no time to visit her parents in her hometown during festival seasons.
On the day she graduated from university, September 30, 2022, tragedy struck—her parents were killed in a car accident. Haunted by grief, Mina feels an unrelenting pull to return to her hometown to honor her parents with traditional ceremonies.

  • Loeurn Chhouk
    Director
    Loeurn Chhouk
  • Loeurn Chhouk
    Writer
    Loeurn Chhouk
  • Visoth NANI
    Producer
  • Rosana LY
    Key Cast
    "Channy"
    SIEB
  • Taing KIM I
    Key Cast
    "Sophearom"
    CHE
  • Thet THOEURN
    Key Cast
    "Khmnhai"
    HEAR
  • Net KHEN
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    ថ្ងៃភ្ជុំមីនា
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 18 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 2, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    1,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Cambodia
  • Country of Filming:
    Cambodia
  • Language:
    Central Khmer
  • Shooting Format:
    Blackmagic 6K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Loeurn Chhouk

My name is Loeurn Chhouk, and I am from Banteay Meanchey Province. I studied documentary filmmaking at the Bophana Center in 2019. My first film, Am Still Alive, is a documentary about the discrimination faced by women living with HIV. It was screened at the Bophana Center in 2019.
In the same year, I co-produced another documentary, Worry, which I co-directed with Proel Pring. The film tells the story of an elderly woman and her two grandsons who migrate to Thailand in search of a better life. Worry was screened at the Cambodia Town Film Festival in 2020 and was presented at the AAS 2021 Film Expo.
In 2021, I directed If I Die, a documentary that explores the struggles of people living with HIV who face job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film received significant audience support and was screened at the 6th Hanoi International Film Festival in 2022 and featured in the Chaktomuk Short Film Festival 2022 Showcase.
Also in 2021, I directed The Heirs, a film about a 16-year-old girl who drops out of school to migrate to Thailand with her parents.
In 2024, my film On and Off, which tells the story of a boy who becomes obsessed with online gaming and loses his job, was screened at the Chaktomuk Short Film Festival.
In the same year, I completed a three-month filmmaking program at the Cambodia Film Commission.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Banteay Meanchey is a densely populated province where many families encourage their children to migrate to Thailand for work after completing grade 12 or passing their exams. I was one of those children. After passing the 2018 Baccalaureate exam, my parents initially planned to send me to work in Thailand. However, in 2019, they changed their minds and decided to send me to Phnom Penh to study documentary filmmaking at the Bophana Center for a year.
After graduating, I created five films that focus on themes of migration and early marriages. The inspiration behind my film Mina Pchum Ben was to explore and highlight the relationship between parents and children who are separated by distance.
As you may know, the lives of rural children who move to the city to pursue their studies are often challenging. Many of them must balance work and school, leaving little time for themselves, and sometimes not enough to eat. Through this story, I aim to share the struggles and sacrifices of those who live far from their families and only manage to visit their parents in the countryside once or twice a year—never knowing how much time they have left together.