Khmer Lao

Transcript (Download)

Oh Their pockets with glue She asked him to stretch out his fingers so she could feel how fat he was, for she could not see below.

But Hansel stuck out an old bone so she thought he was not growing any farther.

At last, those witches decided to eat him anyway.

Grann had to build the fire and fill the kettle and she...

Then throw a bomb and kill the mom, except the baby.

So they say he must not leave either.

So they throw the baby up in the air and he landed on the knife on the end of the gun and died.

It was terrible.

I cannot watch.

One day, the communists come into my village and they start shooting.

Everybody runs to her, but my sister cannot run fast enough, so they shoot my sister.

I think she's died.

I think she's died a thousand times.

My father had to carry her three days to a doctor.

She cannot walk.

For three years, she cannot walk.

I have to have to carry my sister to Thailand.

I think I cannot do it, but she's my sister.

Hansel and Greta fell asleep.

When they woke up, it was night.

Hansel comforted Greta, who was frightened by the dark.

Then, when the moon came up, they could see the pebbles that Hansel had drafted, and they followed them all the way home.

Did you stay with your mother, or where did you stay? I stayed with somebody else.

My mother had to go to work, and I had to go to work too.

Did you live in the houses together? With who? Like in a patea? Did you live in a house with your mother, though? No.

With children? With children.

They got to work with us.

Where was your mother? My mother got to work far.

Do you ever get to see her? Someday.

About a month, a week.

Once a week? Did they have a party for you or something? No.

How did you get to see her? Stair.

Stair? Yeah, run.

You know, someday they don't have a lot of work, just run to her.

Were you allowed to? A day or something.

And with the jewels they had brought from the witch's house? Yeah, we were going to go eat.

Then we go to a Japanese store.

They send us home.

They send us home.

Were you here? Yeah, they said we go straight.

When we go straight, we go to the store.

We go ask the man.

Then we look at the man and they send us home.

Did he drive you home, or how did you get home? Before he rode a bike, then he tied and he rode in a car.

I rode the bike.

Then me and him changed.

He rode in a car, I rode a bike.

So you followed him in a car? Yeah.

He took you all the way home from downtown? Yeah.

Was he from your country? No, Japanese.

So, how about you girls? Have you ever been lost? No.

I say I want to go to the...you know, one week I want to go to Naitama.

And then my father changed me to one.

One, twenty -five.

I saw my new teacher.

You know, the blacker is bad.

Did you know English then? No.

Did you know what the teacher wanted you to do? Uh -huh.

Did you...how were the kids toward you your first day, do you remember? Were they nice? They were nice.

Me and my crew, and the black guy put me in the water.

What? When was this? In the school.

Just recently? You almost drowned? Who am I to you? They put me in the water.

What did you do? What did you do? He didn't do nothing.

Why did he do that? I don't know.

He thought he wanted to kill people.

Does that happen a lot at your school? No.

What did your teacher do? Punish him.

My teacher said I'm no.

You didn't say anything? Weren't you scared? How about you girls? Have you ever had anything awful like that happen in school? No.

I fight in school.

I'm a black guy.

How do you fight? Do you use a kick or do you...how do you do? Kick.

Like a bustling.

Are you a good fighter? Do you win? No? Yeah.

Does he win sometimes? Do it.

You lied, right? Very heavy.

Think about it.

I don't know how you're going to do it.

Nothing but us.

I'm going to go pull it out.

I always say that girls always go first.

Callin' a girl.

I can't get this one.

Callin' a girl.

I'll raise your hand.

Right? Put your hand down.

I'll call this one, okay? One, two, three.

Get that one out.

You're going to get out.

That's all we have time for now.

It's after eight.

You got some lips.

What is that? Lips.

You got something in there.

A face? A face? No.

A bra? What is it, Suppy? A cat.

We like that one.

Ready? I got it.

You see? Watch it.

Get that finger.

Why? Why? Say that again.

Are you done? No.

Watch the door.

Oh, can I get...

See? He put his hat in the coat.

Oh, I didn't understand this one.

Okay, Kunal, you go next.

Show everybody how you roll.

See that, man? Nice.

Just like what he did.

What was it? Uh -oh.

Like that? Yeah.

Okay? See, girls can do it.

Girls can do it, too.

Hey! Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday! And you is, uh, 12 years old.

Is it not for living? I bought it in 1973.

I bought it in 1973.

I'm 12 years old.

You're 12 years old? Okay, all right.

All right, that's enough of that game.

Daddy cut the light in the guy over there.

That's so funny.

That's so funny.

The film is like a message to tell the country around the world, let the world know what happened in Cambodia, and let the country around the world learn what happened in my country, Cambodia.

And also, the superpower country that you test your weapons in my country is the Kenang Fields.

From the result that you test my weapon.

Kenang North, itself a Cambodian refugee.

This morning, Hollywood's best supporting actor was at work at the Asian Refugee Center where he's a counselor.

Nor had never acted before, he's one of only two non -professionals to ever win an acting Oscar.

This award represents my daddy who died in Cambodia, my mom, my sweetheart, my people who died in Cambodia under the communist regime.

And we couldn't come because of the truck.

You know, they have a truck for us and it's too crowded, so they say we can come later.

And then one next day, I went over there and nobody come and take us.

It was very different.

Until two years and then some American came and take us.

You were thinking that every day that you might get to go? Yeah.

You mean they didn't tell you it would be two years? You thought every day you might get to go? Yeah.

And you went every day in waiters? Not every day.

Maybe two months later, then I would stop going to the theater.

Hey, I take this out, okay? Oh, my God.

Oh, oh, where's your hat? I don't know.

Turn around, man, turn around.

He put his hat in the...

You put this in there? No.

Ah, you untie us.

My hair went to there.

You don't have no shoe? No, no, no.

You put the zipper up a little bit? No, no.

You put a little here.

All right, now.

You put your...

You put your shirt inside and you put the one cover up.

You put this in here.

You put your zip up a little bit.

You have the zip, boy.

Turn around, man.

Oh, I know, I know.

I know, you put something in your pocket.

You put it in there.

Come on, honey.

Come on, honey.

Applause The You must have unworked.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

One, two, three.

No playing music.

No playing music.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

One, two, three.

Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

One, two, one, two.

One, two, one, two.

This is not my favorite part.

I don't go hitting nothing.

Yeah, I'm happy.

You can't just go like that.

You can't just go like that.

See that? Come.

See that? I'm happy.

Oh, I'm happy, Oh, I'm happy, I'm happy, Oh, I'm happy.

So, we're going to do one.

We're going to do one.

And then we're going to do one.

So, we're going to do one.

And then we're going to do one.

And then we're going to do one.

So, we're going to do one.

And then we're going to do one.

And then we're going to do one.

So, we're going to do one.

And then we're going to do one.

And then we're going to do one.

And then we're going to do one.

That's all right.

Okay, Polly, you ready? I don't want to.

I don't want to.

No, I don't want to do it.

You don't want to do it? Okay.

Identifier

F.2005-08-0253

Date Of Production

circa 1981 – 1985

Abstract

Loosely assembled unused footage shot for the production, Our Bamboo Gingerbread House, by Bill Stamets and Janice Finney. Stamets has described Our Bamboo Gingerbread House as a film, “about Cambodian kids [whom Finney] helped to stage a quasi-therapeutic performance about surviving political trauma before arriving in Chicago.”

Format

Super 8

Extent

500 feet

Color

Color

Sound

Mag Stripe

Reel/Tape Number

1/1

Has Been Digitized?

Yes

Language Of Materials

English

Element

Reversal Positives

Subject

Children
Performances
Students
Khmer (Southeast Asian people)
Political refugees
Emigration and immigration

Preservation Sponsor

Related Collections

Subseries II: Footage

Related Places

North America ➜ United States ➜ Illinois ➜ Chicago ➜ Uptown

Main Credits

Stamets, Bill (is filmmaker)

Finney, Janice (is filmmaker)

Participants And Performers

Ngor, Haing (is participant)

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