A Cambodian Spring is a complex, emotional, and eye opening film that follows three Cambodian activists as they go up against the injustices being perpetrated against the lower class. In Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh, Tep Vanny and Toul Srey Pov are residents and leaders of the Boeung Kak lake community. In 2007, The World Bank began to slowly fill the lake with sand, flooding dozens of houses, and bulldozing those that stood in their way. Over in the Siem Reap province, The Venerable Luon Sovath begins to film the injustices underway in a small farming village by the Cambodian government. A number of their people have been thrown in jail for protecting their property in a violent shootout. Venerable is a Buddhist monk, and by not only taking a stance in this political affair but taking the lead in a protest, he risks being “defrocked”

Beginning as two separate stories of activism, Venerable soon becomes involved in Vanny and Srey Pov’s cause, and all three protest the Boeung Kak lake destruction together. Over the course of six years, the film documents countless protests, riots, conflicts, and rallies all in an effort to save the lake and the surrounding community. The issue gets nationwide attention, and serves as the voice of underrepresented citizens of Cambodia who are being taken advantage of by the corrupt government.

Modern-day Cambodia is shaped by somewhat chaotic and sometimes violent development due to it’s long history of corrupt government and injustices within the lower class (which is extremely low compared to that of the United States). This documentary literally charts this development over years with a focus on the land rights protests that sparked a nationwide demand for social and political change. This is so incredibly important because for most people in Cambodia, their land is what they’ve got – it’s a livelihood. Boeung Kak lake is this natural resource that has been serving the surrounding people for decades, and now a foreign company wants to build a skyscraper there. Vanny and Srey Pov are two working mothers who put their lives on hold in order to prevent this from happening The message of citizen activism is so prevalent in this film – that you have the power to fight for your rights and those of your community.