Film Screening: Becoming Human

Join us for a special screening of Polen Ly’s Becoming Human (2025) as part of Festival de la Francophonie 2026.

When an aging cinema in Battambang, Cambodia is slated to be demolished, it’s guardian spirit, Thida, must confront her existence as a ghost and the choice of rebirth. When she meets local journalist Hai, who has snuck in to say goodbye to the cinema, she forms a deep bond with him that forces her to face not only her spiritual destiny but also the realities of a country undergoing profound economic and social change.

First released at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival film about preserving memory in the face of Becoming Human is a meditative and poetic film about preserving memory in the face of modernity.

About the Director

Polen Ly

Polen Ly is a self-taught filmmaker based in Cambodia. Rooted in social issues and nature, his films have gained recognition at inernational film festivals, including at Tropfest SEA in Malaysia, where his short film “Colourful Knots” one first prize. He was selected as a Director Fellow at the Asian Film Academy in Busan, Korea the following year. His short fiction, “Further and Further Away” premiered at Berlinale International Film Festival in 2022 and won “Best Live-Action Short over 15 minutes” at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Shortfest.

About the Presenter

Sophia Wong Boccio

Sophia Wong Boccio, a native of Hong Kong, grew up immersed in cinema. Her mother was an actress and her father a film editor, instilling in her an early and lasting appreciation for film as both art and cultural expression.

Between 1998-2000, while living in Sydney, Australia, Sophia curated two independent film festivals on behalf of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office and the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Sydney. She later became a consultant to Italy’s Udine Far East Film Festival, where she continues to serve as hospitality host for VIP guests and interpreter for Chinese-speaking filmmakers and artists.

Since relocating to Chicago in 2000, Sophia has held leadership roles with the Chicago International Film Festival, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, and Redmoon Theater. Her deep knowledge of cinema, curatorial vision, and longstanding international relationships enable Sophia’s Choice and Asian Pop-Up Cinema to bring distinctive and compelling independent Asian films to Chicago audiences.