"There was a little child stuck right there in that spot. The shell came flying right into this spot!"
Tha Nhil
Preah Vihear temple worker
Shattered Peace. Silent Fields.
What is left when the sounds of war no longer echo?
About the Film
About the Film.
Shattered Peace. Silent Fields. is a short documentary by Emmy Award-winning former CNN Senior International Correspondent Arwa Damon.
Through intimate testimony, it explores the human cost of the Cambodia–Thailand conflict — a wound that cuts across generations.
For older Cambodians, the shadow of genocide never truly lifted. For their children and grandchildren, it lived on in stories: bloody and painful.
Deeply emotional, the film follows families still stranded in displacement camps or temporary shelters, unable to return home; those who dedicated their lives to Cambodia’s now damaged cultural heritage sites; and those who lost loved ones to violence they thought was a thing of the past.
This documentary is sponsored by the Cambodian government. All editorial content and narrative are the team's own.
Stories
Quotes from the field
"I was rushed to the hospital immediately, he died without me even knowing. I didn't know he was dead."
Sien Son
Father of 10-year-old Sovann
"When I was a child during the Khmer Rouge we also got evacuated. I was always running to escape the shells... I never even finished my studies."
Phan Khat
Displaced person
"After my son died I've never made rice cake, it reminds me too much of my son."
Chanteang Sin
Mother of 10-year-old Sovann
Official Trailer
Team
Team
Arwa Damon
Director
Arwa Damon is a five-time Emmy Award-winning former CNN Senior International Correspondent. Throughout her more than two-decade long career, Arwa reported from some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones, becoming widely recognized for her deeply human storytelling and frontline coverage of Iraq, Syria, and the Middle East.
In 2015 Arwa founded her charity, the International Network for Aid, Relief, and Assistance (INARA), which provides comprehensive holistic medical and mental health care for children impacted by war and natural disasters who otherwise would not be receiving treatment.
Following her departure from CNN in 2022, Arwa shifted focus towards different forms of storytelling and humanitarian work, continuing to spotlight untold human stories from regions affected by conflict.
Len Leng
Producer
Len started freelancing as a journalist in 2012 while still a sophomore in university. Since then, she has worked with numerous local and international news organizations including CNN, BBC, Voice of America Khmer Service, Al Jazeera English and more. She has covered breaking news, human rights, labor migration, and humanitarian stories across Cambodia. Her work in documentary and film work includes field producing in Cambodia for the PBS documentary “Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science,” serving as an extra casting assistant on “First They Killed My Father,” directed by Angelina Jolie and production managing for the Hollywood film “Hex” directed by Rudolf Buitendach.
Sereypanha Sith
Director of Photography
Sereypanha is a visual storyteller whose work spans documentaries and short films. He first picked up a camera in 2017 and quickly developed a passion for filmmaking and editing. Between 2019 and 2021, he worked as production manager and head of editing for Young Eco-Ambassador, a youth-led environmental initiative focused on awareness across the Mekong and Tonle Sap regions in collaboration with Fishbio and Cambodia’s Fishery Administration.
Raksa Ratha
Videographer
Raksa is a documentary videographer, professional photographer, storyboard artist, set designer, and prop master. Her experience includes music videos, commercials, and short films with leading Cambodian directors. Within the humanitarian sector, she contributed to campaigns focused on child drowning prevention and created social media content for UNICEF.
Sokkhouch Kheav
Drone Operator
Sokkhouch is widely recognized for his travel and adventure storytelling, building a strong social media following through cinematic drone and documentary content. A self-taught drone operator, he has documented charity events, displaced communities, music videos, and short films throughout Cambodia. Since 2019, he has also worked as a tour leader organizing expeditions across Cambodia’s mountains and coastal regions.
Sopheak Soun
Composer
Sopheak began his musical journey in a Pin Peat ensemble at a Buddhist monastery in his village in Kien Svay, about 30 minutes southeast of Phnom Penh. From an early age, he was drawn to the sound of the sralai, a traditional Khmer wind instrument. That fascination grew into a lifelong commitment to learning, preserving, and passing on Cambodia's rare and endangered musical instruments — many of which were nearly lost during the Khmer Rouge era. Sopheak has a graduate degree from the Royal University of Fine Arts, specializing in the sralai. He often collaborates with both national and international artists. He has also worked with Cambodian Living Arts, supporting music education programs in remote communities and helping bring traditional music to younger generations.
Sovorng Mear
Driver
Sovorng has guided research and film crews through some of Cambodia’s most remote and difficult terrain. He is respected for his professionalism, reliability, kindness, and calm presence throughout demanding field journeys.