![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cambodianlivingarts.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/DSC00896-838x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nVorleakh\u2019s path has moved across graphic design, fashion, marketing, and acting. Each step shapes her artistic eye and storytelling instincts. Yet even with this wide-ranging experience, before becoming a stage director, Vorleahk had waited years for the right film, the right director, or a character that felt right. Ghost movies, dominate the Cambodian film market, were not to her taste. \u201cI may have set my expectations quite high,\u201d she said. \u201cThat led me to the point where I wanted to write stories that interested me, stories I liked, and to tell them myself.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n She finds stories through observation, on social media, especially stories related to women. \u201cFor about 200 years, society has put pressure on women. It may look like things have changed and become more modern, but if you cut to the core, almost nothing has changed. When a woman makes a mistake, people use it to humiliate her, curse her, or attack her online.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n These injustices keep Vorleahk awake at night. She met a friend who introduced her to Anna Deavere Smith, an artist who both theorizes and practices docudrama. \u201cMy very first encounter was a TED talk, Four American Characters. I was like, \u2018Wow! this [technique] fits exactly what I want to do. Someone has already done it, then I\u2019ve learned so much from her.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our New Creation grant met Vorleahk at exactly the right moment. The grant supports Cambodian artists in developing new work, through financial support and mentorship. For Vorleahk, it became the means to turn long-held questions on sexuality, power and abuse into a work of her own. Our Value<\/em> has come to life. It is an experimental theatre piece that explores the resilience and vulnerability of women\u2019s bodies in relation to law and (in)justice, through true stories of five women protagonists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s the chance to test my own ability,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What we learn from Vorleahk is that many small cuts can eventually break a mountain. Everything does not come all at once. Three things set the stage for what was to come: her restless eye for stories on social media, her discovery of Anna Devere Smith, and the act of collecting those stories, letting them accumulate until they demanded to be written down. No spoilers. After multiple works in progress, we hope to catch up with Our Value<\/em> in March 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy performance mirrors women\u2019s struggles universally. I just hope that 100 years from now on, nobody will need to bring up Chhbab Srey or the rules governing women in a performance like I do. I hope our Cambodian youth will be busy doing something better than today.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Formerly a live singer in a small band and a radio host, Linda is currently a communication and digital media professional with CENTRAL, where she produces videos on labour rights to empower garment workers. Through a new funding scheme, CLA established a partnership with CENTRAL, bringing Linda into Building Bridge platform<\/a> through our Mobility Grant<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCLA has seen the potential of us at CENTRAL, as we also focus a lot on media,\u201d Linda said. The initiative brings together artists, CSOs, policymakers, grassroots and advocates. As part of the program, Linda travelled to Laos with a diverse cohort from Cambodia, including herself, a musician, and a filmmaker. She was particularly struck by the way our partner Mekong Cultural Hub organized the exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two sessions in particular shaped Linda\u2019s experience which she wanted to share with us: Local Gathering<\/em> and Citizen in Between<\/em>. Both offered practical and personal insights into how arts and civic engagement intersect. Local Gathering, as Linda described, is a simple, community-based, discussions that bring stakeholders together around specific topics. Linda observed one session on environmental issues where elderly neighbours were invited to share their perspectives. She hopes to adapt this approach in future community engagements in Cambodia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Citizen in Between session left a deeper personal impact. \u201cIt\u2019s based on the idea that everyone holds more than one role in life,\u201d Linda said. Participants were asked to reflect on their daily roles, as mother, daughter, filmmaker, and an advocate, then consider how these identities shape both their careers and social lives. \u201cIt made us realize that everything we do matters. It inspired us to keep doing good things for our communities. The speakers were very inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The experience allowed Linda to see firsthand how artists use creativity to respond to community needs and strengthen livelihoods, reinforcing her belief in the power of arts and media as tools for social change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is nothing more precious to pack home with me than the networks and creative ideas gathered in this experience,\u201d she said, \u201cand I really thank CLA for this opportunity.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hin, 36, is a member of the Kroeung Indigenous community, born and raised in the northeastern Kalai village, Ratanakiri. He has lived and worked in Phnom Penh since 2012, moving from CSOs to private sector. He is currently an IT officer with the Cambodian Water Supply Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A recipient of the Arn Chorn-Pond Living Arts Scholarship<\/a>, Learning and Development Program, Hin said the award allows him to take on a long-deferred challenge in graphic design. He enrolled Addbook Computer Centre, hoping to sharpen his abilities and apply them directly to his volunteer work with an Indigenous collective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel so lucky to get support from CLA. Otherwise, I would have to save up, and it would take much longer to reach my goal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Together with other Indigenous community members, Hin helped operate a YouTube channel<\/a> and social media platform<\/a> of Indigenous Peoples Sound<\/em> dedicated to promoting Indigenous culture through digital media.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hope to gain knowledge and skills from the courses and apply them to my daily work such as designing brochures, leaflets, banners, and other materials for social media,\u201d<\/em> he said. \u201cI need to learn this in order to support and serve the mission of my Indigenous community.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hin was introduced to our scholarship through a friend, a member of Tompoun Indigenous. The process was competitive\u2014Hin taught us that if the first attempt fails, simply try a second time. That persistence is how we meet him at the Amatak Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking ahead, Hin hopes to advance into animation and help digitize and document Indigenous cultural heritage so it can endure for future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sovanny recently graduated in Visual Communication Design, now works on graphic design, marketing and event management for a private company. Her path to the arts is anything but straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Growing up in Banteay Meanchey, she didn\u2019t have the chance to study English the way students in Phnom Penh do. \u201cI recall not understanding concepts discussed in English at an event,\u201d she says. \u201cI tried as I know some English, but I lost a lot of information because of my limitation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeking to overcome this barrier, Sovanny applied for the Arn Chorn-Pond Living Arts Scholarship<\/a> to enroll a professional English class to enhance her proficiency to a professional level, which she hopes to leverage in communicating and engaging with international partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\nConnecting Creativity and Social Change: Nop Linda\u2019s Journey with Building Bridges<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cambodianlivingarts.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/DSC00860-edited-2.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGraphic Design for Community: Saraen Hin Hopes to Turns Skills into Cultural Impact<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cambodianlivingarts.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/DSC00941-917x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nFrom Language Barriers to an Art Catalyst: Sovanny Turns Challenges into Opportunities<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cambodianlivingarts.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/IMG_9595-836x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n