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

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