Reviving the Cambodian film industry one good story at a time

About Animist Farm Films

Dave and Sonny

Animist Farm Films was created in July 2012 by veteran journalists and filmmakers, Dave Walker and Sonny Chhoun. We are a Cambodian registered, limited company, based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and our mission is to develop and produce realistically budgeted, high-concept, human-interest films, and distribute them to a global market. At Animist Farm Films, good writing, story integrity, and developed characters guide the filmmaking, without interference from studio gatekeepers, development executives, or deceptive middlemen.

Before the Maoist Khmer Rouge seized power on 17 April 1975, Cambodia was one of the top Asian countries for film production, with an estimated 400 locally made movies. But, as the aging population disappears into history, so does the tradition of village storytelling, and many great stories have already been lost forever. Today, only a few Khmer movies exist, and the increasingly globalized local culture, learn their history from foreign movies, and YouTube. However, there is one Cambodian story that we are determined will never disappear, our flagship project – The Poorest Man.

An introduction to The Poorest Man. - Sonny Chhoun.

This video is the Sary Dy story broadcast by CTV News. - Dave Walker.

Cambodia's forgotten generation - Sonny Chhoun

A digital storytelling exercise from my time at York University.- Dave Walker.

Weird food! Eating spiders in Cambodia - BBC World - with Sonny Chhoun.

Gordon Ramsay Eats Stuffed Frog in Cambodia - with Sonny Chhoun.