Becoming Human

For decades, Thida has been the guardian spirit of a decaying cinema awaiting demolition, wandering alone in the present day as she contemplates the prospect of rebirth. When local journalist Hai sneaks in to bid farewell to the cinema, their encounter becomes a dialogue between past, present, and future.

Both face the looming threat of losing their homes: the construction of a quarry will all but erase the land on which Hai’s house stands, while Thida—once a victim of the Khmer Rouge—believes she has suffered enough as a human. Their intertwined grief opens up a fragile thread of hope in a nation racing towards development.

ntricately crafted, Becoming Human is an original meditation on history, weaving collective grief with the contemporary moment in which violence persists. This fiction-feature debut by award-winning filmmaker Polen Ly offers solace and a quiet hope ​​of holding the past together with a rapidly transforming present, of holding each other in a practice of what it means to be human.

Opening film

Be part of the CinemAsia 2026 Opening Night on 8 April at Eye Filmmuseum. Join us for the Dutch premiere of Becoming Human with a Q&A with the director, drinks, Asian snacks, music, and DJs to celebrate the start of the festival.