Description:

Cirque du Cambodia follows the journeys of two teenagers from rural Cambodia living out a classic fantasy – running away and joining the circus. But it isn’t just any circus they dream about; they are determined to become the first Cambodians to perform with Cirque du Soleil.

Biography:

Joel Gershon is a journalist, documentary filmmaker, and professor in media studies, currently teaching at the School of Communication at American University in Washington D.C. In 2017, he came back to the US after living abroad in Bangkok for 12 years, where he worked as a TV reporter and producer, writer, and university professor. He stumbled across the magical school Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang, Cambodia in 2011, and from that experience, Cirque du Cambodia was born. He surrendered to the flow while chasing this extraordinary story and filming was done in four countries over six years to capture Sopha and Dina’s improbable quest to become the first Cambodians to perform with Cirque du Soleil.