11th Annual DC APA Film Festival

Finding Face

Community Sponsors: Domestic Violence Resource Project, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum-D.C.

Human rights violations, including crimes against women, continue to plague much of the world. Frequently, and unfortunately, such crimes go unnoticed and perpetrators never come to justice. One such crime is acid violence, when toxic and burning acid is thrown on the faces and bodies of women. The families and friends of these women are also often at risk of being targeted by virtue of affiliation, forcing many to seek asylum and flee for their safety.

Finding Face documents the story of Tat Marina, a once-rising star in the Cambodian karaoke music scene. The film details portions of her relationship with Svay Sitha, a high official within the Cambodian government, a married man, and the one she attributes as the ultimate cause of her misery. Tat’s life drastically changed when she was doused with toxic acid, deforming her face and changing the trajectory of the rest of her life. Now living in the United States after receiving asylum, Tat is receiving physical treatment and addressing her emotional wounds. She is also only now speaking out and seeking justice for the travesties she has faced and the conviction of the perpetrators, none of whom have yet been indicted for their crimes despite the large number of witnesses.

This documentary film by Skye Fitzgerald and Patti Duncan brings to light the often overlooked acid crime that targets an increasing number of women annually, especially in Asia, and even in the United States. Present day images of acid crime victims shown in the film will have audiences up in arms, ready to take action against such crimes, and willing to seek justice for those who otherwise fear for their lives.
— Grace Choi

Preceded by:

This powerful documentary details the actions that an ethnically diverse community takes to unite and combat the slumlords that control the place they all called home.

Share