From darkness to light
Updated: Sep 29
In 2025, Adana Mam-Legros, the daughter of Somaly Mam, made a film for the Solyna Foundation in which she retraces the history of Cambodia, her mother and the AFESIP center through her eyes.
This very moving film was shown at our fundraising events in Lausanne in 2025 and Geneva in 2026, and we invite you to (re)watch it on our YouTube channel SolynaFoundation
We interviewed Adana to get more details about her approach, her feelings, and the importance of this film to her. You can find the interview below :
1. What does this film represent for you?
Before being a documentary, this film is first and foremost an intimate and deeply personal gesture. It is the fruit of 30 years of shared life with my mother, my sisters, and all the girls at the center. It is a love letter, a message of support to my mother and to each girl at the center. They are seen, they exist in our eyes, and they will remain forever in our hearts, in a world where, too often, they go unnoticed. I had already tried to make this film once before, but cancer stopped everything. I was determined to see it through, for AFESIP, for my mother, for my sisters.
2. Did completing this film help you to better understand Somaly / the center / her work?
Having grown up alongside the girls, I know the center inside and out: how it operates, its emotional power, the heart of its work, the rhythm of daily life. This filming project has above all allowed me to reconnect with my mother and make her understand that I support her in her work, with heart and soul. That the child in me isn't angry that she has spent her entire life with the girls, to the detriment of her own family.
3. What was the most difficult part for you in this project?
Even after thirty years of hearing their stories, listening to these young women recount their lives remains the most difficult ordeal. Asking them to relive moments of profound suffering. Seeing in their eyes the weight of a past that won't let go, despite their courage and the security of their new environment. These traumas will be with them for the rest of their lives.
4. What is the main message you wanted to convey through this film?
Life can be profoundly unfair: the place where you are born can determine your entire existence. My message is one of mutual support. So many young lives are shattered; we cannot erase what has been done, but we can change the course of so many people's lives. Our time on Earth is so short that there is nothing more precious than reaching out to our fellow human beings.
5. What emotions does this film evoke for you when you watch it again now?
When I was editing it, I would cry every day. Every time I watch it, I still cry. I feel a profound sense of empathy for these women's stories. The audience can only read the translations, but the words used in Khmer are so much more powerful. A very strong feeling of injustice overwhelms me every time. But the end of the film also fills me with pride: seeing these women become who they are today.
6. What do you hope people will take away from this film?
We must learn to put our ego aside. To dare to lift the veil, even when it's frightening, to confront the reality of the human condition. To wake up each morning appreciating how fortunate we are, despite our own difficulties. To realize that there are far worse things happening around us. And to do this, we must awaken, transcend our own lives, our own little world, to offer love and help to others. We must learn to cultivate empathy in all circumstances. The world would be a better place.
About Adana Mam-Legros
Adana is a French-Cambodian painter and filmmaker whose work explores trauma, resilience, and cultural identity through the lens of psychology and social engagement. Having grown up in Cambodia, she has exhibited her work internationally since 2019 and is currently based in Hong Kong.
Discover the work of Adana and her company Adanaprod: www.adanaprod.com
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