Documentary Cambodia - Help!

So I'm heading back to Cambodia on 12th March till 11th April, on a journey to bring my dog back to the UK with me.

I lived in Cambodia for 2 years where I learnt a lot about the country and difficulties Khmer people face at present. As I'm heading back for a month I want to put together a documentary surrounding a particular issue in Cambodia to help people in the UK be made more aware to what is actually going on, rather than the pre-meditated brain washing unrealistic crap that is published from the Government onto the BBC and other news networks.

I am extremely passionate about Cambodia and would like to put together a documentary that shows the reality of the issues that continue to take place however, I am unsure of what topic to settle on. Of course their are so many issues on what to discuss where Cambodia is concerned, here are the few that I thought up and am having difficulty choosing one;

Poverty - people still struggle in poverty regardless of foreign aid due to corruption from the goverment, the hundreds of NGO's that claim to help the less fortunate but are actually spending approx. 90% funding on salaries, luxuries, etc.

Education - poor people are ill-educated due to corruption in schools, not enough money to buy uniform, books, pencils etc so cannot go and instead do labour at home. Within Phnom Penh City, the schools provided are a 'buisness' where the people running them have no clue nor a care on actual education, just the money the schools bring in - also, these schools that do provide good education from western educated teachers (often expats) are teaching 'upper-class' citizens of the Cambodian society, leaving poor students unable to learn because they cannot afford to.

Corruption - the government as well as foreign aid continue to use 'funding' from foreign aid for luxuries as opposed to people who actually need it. If you have no money, you won't get any where... e.g. if you are poor and are put in prison for something you didn't do, you will be released, however if you are a well known sex trafficking perp, were evidence has been shown to prove exactly what you've done, but are filthy rich, you will be free within a day.

Life after Khmer Rouge - people are still left with mental disorders after seeing their relatives/friends brutally slaughtered by Khmer rouge soldiers and are still left without justice in spite of losing their homes, lively hoods, babys and relatives, because the people who run the government today are 98% ex-Khmer Rouge soldiers. The trails regarding the khmer rouge soldiers who are still alive today who killed thousands of innoncent people have been dropped due to the majority being high officials within the government.

These are only brief outlines of some of the issues that anger me to my very core that I wish to create a documentary about to educate people to understand further what is actually going on and corruption and lies that take place every day forcing innocent people to struggle for a meal or a home because the people with the upper hand fail them miserably.

Help!! I don't know where to start!!

Reply 1

Space-Monkey

Well I've never made a documentary in my life so I don't know whether I'll be any help at all but the thing that jumped out at me when reading your post was how easily you would be able to access the relevant people/ information needed to made a documentary on some of the subjects discussed. So I would start by thinking realistically about which topic you will be able to produce an informative piece on, rather than let yourself get overwhelmed in some of the larger issues.
I watched a documentary on the Khmer Rouge on Channel 4 and the guy on that was Cambodian, clearly comfortable with the language, culture etc. and it took him a few years of getting to know the people who took part until they agreed to speak about their experiences. So as an outsider, albeit one with some experience of Cambodian life, may struggle to make a documentary on a huge issue like government corruption without some seriously good contacts or lots of money..!

Reply 2

unigurl

Yep, I understand. My aim is to interview local Cambodians who are friends of mine, whom I know well. I lived there for two years so I've got lots of friends there, a close family in particular whose relatives were murdered in the Khmer Rouge. Really, I want Cambodian people to speak out about what they think, as opposed to what 'we' - the foreigners, think and assume, which I have quite a few people in particular who I know will want to partake and who are my close friends.