WE ARE LONG BEACH: OUR STORIES, OUR FUTURE
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Visual Communications is grateful to have partnered with United Cambodian Community of Long Beach (UCC) and Cambodia Town Thrives (CTT) to present We Are Long Beach: Our Stories, Our Future, a community arts event created to engage and uplift the Long Beach community of Cambodia Town. The event featured screenings of three documentary short films, including the Long Beach premiere of Conversations at the Register (2022), Cambodia Town Thrives (2022) and Cambodia Town: Not For Sale (2019), followed by discussions and activities guided by local community leaders.
We Are Long Beach: Our Stories, Our Future seeks to amplify local voices and movement, and encouraging solidarity around multicultural issues impacting the local community through sharing and discussing personal stories. We are honored and heartwarmed by the presence and stories of the attendees, and to witness connections being made through the films and issues impacting our communities.
CAMBODIA TOWN: NOT FOR SALE
Directed by Brandon Soun, Lan Nguyen | 2019
CAMBODIA TOWN: NOT FOR SALE captures the collective grassroots organizing among Long Beach residents against the ongoing gentrification of small ethnic-owned shops in the heart of Cambodia Town. Members of the community and small business owners express how this sudden change would come at the cost of their deep-rooted livelihoods.
CONVERSATIONS AT THE REGISTER
Directed by Brandon Soun, Lan Nguyen | 2022
Our film tells the story of KH Supermarket, a Cambodian-owned grocery store in the heart of Cambodia Town, Long Beach that was forced to close due to gentrification. We aim to create space to mourn the loss of this cultural artifact and celebrate the market’s contribution of nurturing our community.
CAMBODIA TOWN THRIVES
Directed by Brandon Soun | 2022
Cambodia Town in Long Beach, California is not only home to the largest population of Cambodians in America, but also to many diverse immigrant communities. Small mom-and-pop businesses are the cultural keepers of this neighborhood. With threats of gentrification, community members have mobilized to ensure the prosperity of their hometown.
The event took on Saturday, August 27 at Mark Twain Neighborhood Library from 2 to 4pm and light lunch and refreshments were served.
This project is made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org. This event is not library sponsored.
