My Mother’s Tongue – Jean-Baptiste Phou

Soundwork / Film

Image from *My Mother’s Tongue* – illustration by Sao Sreymao

My Mother’s Tongue tells the story of a mother and son who don’t share a language. They have difficulties communicating, until something unlocks when she suddenly falls very ill. The emotional journey unfolds through a series of vignettes that draw the viewer deeper into the inner world of a son seeking understanding and to be understood.

Soundwork
Text, artistic direction and voice: Jean-Baptiste Phou
Sound design, editing and mastering: Vincent Villa
Sound assistant: Thana San
WIth the participation of Muoy You, Camille Malivoir Zidane, Seyma Thorn, Sokim Keat – Khmer version: Voan Savay, Mam Pisey
With the support of l’Institut français du Cambodge and art nOmad
Premiere at Triennale art nOmad, 2011 and published in frictions.co, 2022

Link to the soundwork

Film
Directing: Jean-Baptiste Phou
Sound Design: Vincent Villa
Animated Drawings: Sao Sreymao
Additional Animation Sequence: Denis Do
Video editing: Sao Bora
Distribution: Kongchak Pictures
With the support of Cambodian Living Arts

Screenings
Institutions
Institut français du Cambodge – Phnom Penh, Cambodia (world premiere)
Institut français du Laos – Vientiane, Laos
Institut français d’Indonésie – Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Film festivals
FestCurtasBH (Official competition) – Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Festival des Cinémas d’Asie (Public’s Choice Award) – Vesoul, France
Cambodia International Film Festival – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Chaktomuk short film festival (closing film) – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Si loin, si proche (European premiere) – Noisiel, France
Asian American International Film Festival – New York, USA
Wandering Salon film festival – Berlin, Germany
Bresk! – Douarnez, France

Museums, galleries and art spaces
Java Creative Cafe (Phnom Penh Photo Festival) – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Ikigai – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Meta House (Refugee Path) – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
C-lab (Mekong Cultural Hub), Taipei, Taiwan
Bangkok Art and Culture Center (SEA Junction), Bangkok, Thailand
GalileOasis – Bangkok, Thailand
Heritage Space – Hanoi, Vietnam
Komunitas Salihara (LIFE festival) – Jakarta, Indonesia
Sinema Transtopia (UNTHAITLED X KAUM FILM+++FESTIVAL: WANDERING SALON)- Berlin, Germany
Musée national de l’histoire de l’immigration – Paris, France
La Centrale – Montreal, Canada

Universities/Schools
NYU Abu Dhabi (‘Arts for Transformation’) – United Arab Emirates
National Chengchi University (‘Narratives of Migration’) – Taipei, Taiwan
NTUA (Institute of Transdisciplinary Performing Arts) – Taipei, Taiwan
Sciences Po Paris (‘Générations post-réfugiées’) – Paris, France
Lycée Descartes – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
UC Berkeley (Center for Southeast Asia Studies) – Berkeley, USA

Community screenings
Pteas Chas – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Cambodian Living Arts – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Au8ust The Living Factory (Mekong Cultural Hub) – Vientiane, Laos
Maison du Cambodge (association Yuvachun) – Paris, France
Maison des associations de Paris 13e (école khmère de Paris) – Paris, France
Digital Village (festival du printemps) – Paris, France
AFAS (Association des Francophones Asiatiques à Singapour) – Singapore