In October 2017 a world tour of a new stage production premiered in Melbourne, Bangsokol: A Requiem for Cambodia, is a unique fusion of music, voice, movement and projected images commemorating the 2 million Cambodians who died at the hands of the Communist driven Khmer Rouge regime while celebrating the renaissance of an artistic life that has all but disappeared. The Requiem has been commissioned by Cambodian Living Arts a not-for-profit organization. CLA’s vision is to revive their lost arts & bring international attention to a world still besieged by conflict, that the arts can be a powerful tool for healing and play a role in rebuilding war torn societies.Over one year, this documentary charts the staging of the Requiem interweaving heart-wrenching accounts of survival of those involved.The Requiem’s principal creators are childhood survivors, world renowned filmmaker Rithy Panh, and Cambodia’s premier composer, Him Sophy. They are collaborating for the first time to bring their traumatic shared history to a world audience.Most Cambodians are Buddhists who believe the dead will not rest in peace or be reborn without proper religious rituals.
Wandering Souls 1 was broadcast on SBS ONE at Sunday 2 June 2019, 14:00.
