New Year Baby
Encyclopedia
New Year Baby is a 2007 documentary film
that tells the story of a family that survived the Cambodian genocide, and started a new life in the United States
. The film was directed by Socheata Poeuv and produced by Charles Vogl. It won the 2007 IDFA "Movies That Matter" Award, an initiative of Amnesty International
, as well as 8 other international awards. It was aired on National PBS in 2008.
in Thailand
, where her family had fled following the Cambodian genocide. Her family left the refugee camp and emigrated to Texas
, where they focused on creating a new life for themselves and their children.
The story moves to the present, when Socheata returns home for Christmas
. Her mother calls a family meeting and reveals a secret that Socheata's entire family had kept from her: her two sisters are not actually her sisters, her brother is her half-brother, and her mother had a husband before Socheata's father. Socheata's family had been melded together in a Khmer Rouge
labor camp
, assembled from shards of an extended family
that was shattered when family members were killed in the Cambodian genocide. After this secret is revealed, Socheata's mother and father invite Socheata and her brother to Cambodia
, and Socheata agrees to go to discover what other secrets her family had left behind.
As Socheata spends time in Cambodia, more is gradually discovered about her family's past. Her two "sisters", Mala and Leakhena, are actually her cousin
s. They were taken to a Khmer Rouge labor camp, along with their mother and father. Their father was taken away when they arrived, and they never saw him again. Their mother died of starvation
not long after, leaving them orphan
s, at which point Socheata's mother adopted them. Socheata's mother had a husband and son when she was taken to the labor camp. After her husband was killed, she continued to care for her son and Mala and Leakhena. She met Socheata's father in the Khmer Rouge labor camp, and they were married by a Khmer Rouge cadre.
The film continues with Socheata and her family traveling through Cambodia, visiting sites important to her family's history: the labor camp where her mother and father met, the spot where Mala and Leakhena's mother was buried, the homes of surviving relatives of both sides of her family.
The final chapter of the story reveals what happened after the Khmer Rouge fell and the Cambodian genocide ended. Although they were freed from the Khmer Rouge, Mala and Leakhena had been separated from their adopted parents. After searching for months Socheata's father found Mala and Leakhena, and smuggled the entire family through minefields and across the Thai-Cambodian border to the refugee camp where Socheata was born.
After visiting the spot where Socheata was born, Socheata and her father go to a Buddhist temple and complete the ritual for a new child that her father had been unable to complete in the refugee camp. The film concludes back in Texas, where Socheata brings out a wedding cake
to celebrate the wedding ceremony that her parents had never been permitted to have, and her mother describes how proud and thankful she is for what Socheata's father had done to save their family and create a new life for them in America.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that tells the story of a family that survived the Cambodian genocide, and started a new life in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The film was directed by Socheata Poeuv and produced by Charles Vogl. It won the 2007 IDFA "Movies That Matter" Award, an initiative of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, as well as 8 other international awards. It was aired on National PBS in 2008.
Story synopsis
New Year Baby opens with a brief background story. The main character, Socheata, was born in a refugee campRefugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, where her family had fled following the Cambodian genocide. Her family left the refugee camp and emigrated to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where they focused on creating a new life for themselves and their children.
The story moves to the present, when Socheata returns home for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
. Her mother calls a family meeting and reveals a secret that Socheata's entire family had kept from her: her two sisters are not actually her sisters, her brother is her half-brother, and her mother had a husband before Socheata's father. Socheata's family had been melded together in a Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
labor camp
Labor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
, assembled from shards of an extended family
Extended family
The term extended family has several distinct meanings. In modern Western cultures dominated by nuclear family constructs, it has come to be used generically to refer to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, whether they live together within the same household or not. However, it may also refer...
that was shattered when family members were killed in the Cambodian genocide. After this secret is revealed, Socheata's mother and father invite Socheata and her brother to Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, and Socheata agrees to go to discover what other secrets her family had left behind.
As Socheata spends time in Cambodia, more is gradually discovered about her family's past. Her two "sisters", Mala and Leakhena, are actually her cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
s. They were taken to a Khmer Rouge labor camp, along with their mother and father. Their father was taken away when they arrived, and they never saw him again. Their mother died of starvation
Starvation
Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy, nutrient and vitamin intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, death...
not long after, leaving them orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
s, at which point Socheata's mother adopted them. Socheata's mother had a husband and son when she was taken to the labor camp. After her husband was killed, she continued to care for her son and Mala and Leakhena. She met Socheata's father in the Khmer Rouge labor camp, and they were married by a Khmer Rouge cadre.
The film continues with Socheata and her family traveling through Cambodia, visiting sites important to her family's history: the labor camp where her mother and father met, the spot where Mala and Leakhena's mother was buried, the homes of surviving relatives of both sides of her family.
The final chapter of the story reveals what happened after the Khmer Rouge fell and the Cambodian genocide ended. Although they were freed from the Khmer Rouge, Mala and Leakhena had been separated from their adopted parents. After searching for months Socheata's father found Mala and Leakhena, and smuggled the entire family through minefields and across the Thai-Cambodian border to the refugee camp where Socheata was born.
After visiting the spot where Socheata was born, Socheata and her father go to a Buddhist temple and complete the ritual for a new child that her father had been unable to complete in the refugee camp. The film concludes back in Texas, where Socheata brings out a wedding cake
Wedding cake
A wedding cake is the traditional cake served to the guests at a wedding reception after a wedding. In modern Western culture, it is usually a large cake, multi-layered or tiered, and heavily decorated with icing, usually over a layer of marzipan or fondant...
to celebrate the wedding ceremony that her parents had never been permitted to have, and her mother describes how proud and thankful she is for what Socheata's father had done to save their family and create a new life for them in America.
Awards
- "Movies That Matter" Human Rights Award (an initiative of Amnesty International)
- Best Documentary, 25th Annual San Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalSan Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalThe San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival presented every March is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 130 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, USA...
- Best Documentary, AFI Dallas International Film Festival
- Audience Award, Los Angeles VC Film Festival
- Special Jury Award, Asian American International Film FestivalAsian American International Film FestivalThe Asian American International Film Festival is an international film festival held annually during the summer in New York City to showcase the works of both emerging and experienced Asian and Asian American filmmakers and media artists across a diverse range of genres and...
- Audience Award, Asian American International Film Festival
- Crystal Heart Award, Heartland Film FestivalHeartland Film FestivalThe Heartland Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. First held in 1992, its goal is to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."In May 2007, Heartland...
- Top 10 Audience Pick, International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)