Stand Up Man

Mike Siv has a plan: go to Cambodia with his buddies Paul and David, see the sights, have fun and reunite with his father and younger brother, whom he hasn't seen in 22 years. Harsh reality sets in before the journey even begins, however, as Mike, Paul and David have never been out of the U.S., and are the first in their families to visit Cambodia since fleeing the bloody regime of Pol Pot in the late 1970s.

“Who I Became” is the story of Pounloeu Chea, a first-generation Cambodian American. He and his family escaped from Cambodia in the early 1980s and settled in San Francisco. Five years ago, his father returned to Cambodia, leaving behind his wife and three sons. A year ago, his mother joined his father. Since she left, Pounloeu was found guilty of driving stolen cars intended for export and placed on parole. About to become a father, he has to hold a job and stay out of trouble to avoid being sent to jail or shipped back to Cambodia. What will he make of his life when all he knows is displacement and the street life common among the children of many Southeast Asian immigrants in his community?