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Refuge No More

Hay Hov was almost deported to Cambodia last year, a country he hardly knows. Though Hov has lived in the Bay Area almost all his life, a criminal conviction from nearly 20 years ago made him deportable. Ultimately, it was a pardon from California Governor Gavin Newsom that saved him.

Across the US, there are nearly 2000 people in Hov's situation. Deportations in the Cambodian community have almost tripled under Trump, and are showing no signs of slowing down. And no one can rely on a governor's pardon – Newsom has granted clemency to just four Cambodians during his tenure in office.

Now Hov is free, he is joining forces with a cadre of lawyers and politicians fighting to help others like him. When Saman Pho was detained by ICE, his family had no idea if they would ever see him again as a free American. 'Refuge No More' exposes the tremendous psychological and community trauma this deportation crackdown is causing.

  • Alyson Stamos
    Director
  • Max Brimelow
    Director
  • Alyson Stamos
    Writer
  • Max Brimelow
    Writer
  • Alyson Stamos
    Producer
  • Max Brimelow
    Producer
  • Hay Hov
    Key Cast
  • Saman Pho
    Key Cast
  • Maribel Bautista-Pho
    Key Cast
  • Kevin Lo
    Key Cast
  • Elijah Chhum
    Key Cast
  • David Chiu
    Key Cast
  • Christian Collins
    Additional Camera
  • Pedro Cota
    Additional Camera
  • Rosa Tuiran
    Additional Camera
  • Andrés Cediel
    Special Thanks
  • Mike Shen
    Special Thanks
  • Chris O'Dea
    Special Thanks
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature, Short, Student, Television
  • Genres:
    Short Documentary, Immigration, Character-Driven
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 17, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Alyson Stamos, Max Brimelow

Alyson Stamos is an investigative reporter and visual journalist. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times amongst other publications. Having recently graduated from UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, she is currently working on a visual project for PBS News Hour.

Max Brimelow is a visual reporter with credits at numerous outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and PBS. He is most interested in reporting on issues relating to immigration and the environment.

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