Film Screening: Becoming Human

The Alliance is pleased to partner with Asian Pop Up Cinema (APUC) and the National Cambodian Heritage Museum & Killing Fields Memorial on a special screening of self-taught Cambodia-based filmmaker Polen Ly’s 2025 supernatural drama Becoming Human. This event is part of AF-Chicago’s Festival de la Francophonie 2026, the 20th edition of the APUC Film Festival, and the Museum’s Day of Rememberance event series.

APUC Founder & Executive Director Sophia Wong Boccio will present this compassionate film about heritage and modernity, where a journalist and the guardian spirit of a soon-to-be-demolished theater share a friendship.

Guests will enjoy a post-screening discussion, followed by a social reception featuring complimentary Cambodian tea.

Doors at 6:00 pm. Screening at 6:30. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave.

Becoming Human won top prizes at the 20th Jogja-netpac Asian Film Festival, including the Golden Hanoman and Netpac awards. The film is noted for its poetic, meditative approach to Cambodia’s history, focusing on the preservation of memory in a rapidly developing society.

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.

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.

About Festival de la Francophonie

Festival de la Francophonie is the Alliance Française de Chicago’s annual flagship festival, featuring a vibrant lineup of free public programs over the course of the month of March—the official Mois de la Francophonie—celebrating the world’s French-speaking cultures. AF-Chicago is honored to partner with cultural organizations and government institutions across the city to offer high-quality cultural experiences and a forum where people of all ages and backgrounds can discover and connect with the cultures, customs, and language of the Francophone world, to promote lifelong learning and cultural understanding.

Getting Here

The Alliance Française de Chicago is one block from the CTA Red line stop at Chicago Ave. Best bus routes are the 22 on Clark and the 66 on Chicago Ave. A Divvy station is located in front of the 54 W Chicago Ave entrance.

Parking Information

$12 for 12 hours at InterPark at 100 W Chestnut St. Validation is available at reception.

Please be advised that students, members, and attendees at cultural events or programs may be photographed, and these images may be used for marketing purposes.