Master of Arts in Visual Anthropology

A young Cambodian queer activist, under the stage name Fendi Charms, explores the possibilities of bringing drag performance into the light of day—a first in Cambodian history. Fendi works to understand precolonial gender expression and how the first generation after Pol Pot's genocide can integrate ancient understandings of nonbinary gender expression and sexuality into a rapidly reconfiguring society. Fendi takes us into the cramped corners of nightclub dressing rooms and out into the streets of Cambodia's capital, before the COVID-19 pandemic, as she pushes for LGBTQUIA+ visibility. 

 

Running time: 16 minutes