Seasons of Migration

Seasons of Migration (56 min) is a documentary about Sophilene Cheam Shapiro's four part classical Cambodian dance about the stages of culture shock. It blends the dance with commentary about the music and choreography, and personal stories of emigration and culture shock from Cambodian-American residents of Long Beach, California (the largest Cambodian city outside of Cambodia).

Also included on this video, a second video (38 min) presents the complete dance, shot with multiple cameras. The dance is interesting for its use of a classical vocabulary to address contemporary themes. It was produced by John Shapiro of the Khmer Arts Academy.

Film Festivals, Screenings, Awards: Dance on Camera Festival, New York, 2007 Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival, Taipei, 2007 Everglades International Film Festival, Dargle, Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa, 2007 Cinemekong, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2007 Cambofest, Phnom Penh & Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2007 Eugene International Film Festival, Oregon, 2008 Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival, California, 2008 Strategies From Within: An Exhibition of Vietnamese & Cambodian Contemporary Art Practices, Shanghai, China, 2008 Apsara: Spirit Of Cambodia (Exhibition), Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2008 Nominee: Asian Pacific Screen Awards, Gold Coast, Australia, 2008 Filmmaker: John Bishop