Page 1: An Interview With the ProducerBy Suny Lay and Chakriya Phal
Thursday, November 30th, 2000
By Suny Lay
KhmerConnection Staff Writer Sometimes fate just takes over. At least, thats what Leonie Lowe, executive producer of the award-winning documentary, "My Khmer Heart," believes after three years of incredible filming which led from the dusty red roads of Cambodia to the glamour and glitz of the Hollywood Film Festival.
Three years in the making, "My Khmer Heart" tells the story of Geraldine Coxs orphanage and its struggle to survive the political turbulence in Cambodia both during and after the 1997 coup. The film won the Hollywood Film Festivals award for best documentary and is a finalist in the Montreal Film Festival. Not since "The Killing Fields" has a movie about Cambodia received such critical acclaim
The films success was anything but predictable, however. Watching it, we cant help but wonder how these filmmakers knew that a dramatic story of loss, violence, hope, and betrayal was about to unfold and how they happened to be in the right places at all the right times. We feel privileged to witness certain events in the film, recognizing that, as a documentary, all of the scenes are real and not acted out.
In an interview a few days after winning the Hollywood honor, executive producer, Leonie Lowe reflected in sheer disbelief, "Janine and I look back and ask, What were we thinking when we decided to do this documentary? It was just supposed to be about this nice woman and her orphanage in Cambodia." As it turned out, Lowe and Janine Hosking, the films director, ended up following Cox all over Phnom Penh and even to Thailand as Cox defended the orphanages cause before Prince Ranarridh and Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The partnership between Hosking, Lowe, and Cox began in 1997, when Hosking heard Cox giving a speech for Auscare, the Australian national refugee organization. As one of a handful of westerners who remained in Cambodia during the coup, Cox became the primary point of contact for Australian media who were reporting on the unfolding political events. With regular broadcasts in the evening news, she developed a very large, recognizable humanitarian profile in Australia and brought her orphanage to international attention.
 Hosking and Lowe, both with backgrounds in television, not moviemaking, originally planned to shoot a forty-five minute documentary for broadcast on Australian television. As the orphanages drama and tensions escalated, however, so did the pairs plans for a documentary. "We werent sure when to stop filming. Every time we filmed something, events would take a new turn. The film kept evolving and we just didnt know where to cut off." Eventually, according to Lowe, they decided to stop where the film would have a happy ending, just in time to submit it to the film festival. "We literally finished the film three weeks ago (two weeks before the festival). We sent a VHS rough cut and it was accepted; Im not sure if the judges even saw the final cut," says Lowe.
"When Janine called me to say she heard from the festivals director, Carlos de Abreu, saying we were finalists and asking us if we wanted to premiere in Hollywood, we couldnt believe it. Janine was screaming into the phone; it was unbelievable. We never expected this," remembers Lowe with shining eyes.
Success at the festival has brought welcome publicity for both the filmmakers and Cox. Hosking and Lowe are trying to find distributors for their film, while Cox tries to drum up funds to construct new buildings for her orphanage. Lowe remarks, "The more people we show it to, the more people who know about Cambodia and the children. Winning the award has opened doors for us. Just today, Ive received two unsolicited calls from producers interested in our film; last week very few people returned my calls."
These filmmakers are not biting at just any offer that comes their way, however. They are being very careful about choosing the hands into which they will hand over this emotionally told story. "We want someone who will handle this documentary correctly, who cares about the humanitarian issues and not just about turning a profit," says Lowe. "If, through this film, we can help just one person understand Cambodia and the children better, our effort will be worth it."
Making the movie was a "surreal experience," Lowe recalls laughingly. "Geraldine wasnt sure she would get the audience with Hun Sen, and we certainly didnt expect that he would allow us to film it." At times, the films political outcomes raise questions about the role of the cameras in those meetings. "Ranariddh ended up looking pretty bad, while Hun Sen came through for us in the end," concedes Lowe. "But if our cameras being here helped Geraldine get ten hectares of land for fifty years, then Im proud of it," she declares. "But you do have to wonder what Hun Sens motives really were in allowing us to film the meeting."
Coxs willingness to go to both political parties to seek resources for her orphanage reflects her priorities and her survival instinct. "Geraldine Cox is about the kids. She just wants whats best for the children, without a doubt," says Lowe. Coxs love for them shines through in the documentary and the children make no secret of their feelings for her. Piled on top of and all around her, Cox has clearly earned the childrens love and affection at "Maday Thom-thom," or, as she has entitled her autobiography, "Big Mum." Cox is currently on tour in Australia promoting her book.
In one of the funnier clips of "My Khmer Heart," one of the boys at the orphanage describes Cox as a hefty woman with overwhelmingly ample proportions. But instead of becoming angry, recalls Lowe, Cox was unexpectedly moved. "The film crew was trying so hard to keep a straight face. As soon as we turned the cameras off, everyone burst out laughing. But when Geraldine found out, she was so moved that one of her kids felt comfortable enough to be so honest that she had tears in her eyes. She wasnt angry. She knew that he wasnt being nasty, he was just being honest about her. She has no kids of her own, you know, and thats why loving and winning these kids love and trust is so important to her."
Despite the films success, Lowe, Hosking, and Cox still worry constantly about the plight of the orphanage. "We chose to end the film at a happy point, but what people forget is that life goes on. Geraldine still needs money to construct buildings on her land, and shes trying so hard to raise funding." The documentarys success will undoubtedly bring publicity to the children, especially if they can find a distributor to buy their movie. Lowe just hopes that the funding isnt too far behind. » |
