Mony Nop To Host Documentary Screening At The Bankhead

LIVERMORE, CA — The Bankhead Theatre will host the Northern California premiere of “Elvis of Cambodia” a documentary film about Cambodia’s “Golden Voice” singer Sinn Sisamouth. The premiere was organized by Mony Nop and Sophaline Mao of Mony Nop Real Estate Team.

Sisamouth, who lived from circa 1933 to circa 1976, was Cambodia’s most popular singer, songwriter and producer. He became popular in the 1950s, particularly for his crooning style. He sang and produced several hit songs, and helped blend traditional Khmer music with Latin jazz, cha cha, agogo, and psychedelic rock.

During the Cambodian Civil War, he supported the Khmer Republic against the Khmer Rouge, and released songs in support. He disappeared around 1975 during the genocide, but his exact fate is unknown and remains a topic of debate.

Nop and Mao are both Cambodian-Americans directly impacted by the genocide and “felt it was their duty to bring this historic documentary film to the Livermore Valley Arts community and for the survivors of the genocide as a way to heal, connect and inspire resilience.”

“Music serves as a connector across cultures and stretches beyond language,” said Nop, a former Livermore mayoral candidate who is also a Bankhead Theatre Ambassador of the Arts. “Elvis of Cambodia is not only a film about Sinn Sisamouth, but the plight of the Cambodian identity, our rich history of music and resilience as a community to carry on this legacy.”

The film was created by Chris Parkhurst and Stephanie Vicenti of Barang Films, who discovered Sisamouth’s music while in Cambodia working on another project with genocide survivors. “They spoke of his music bringing them back to happier times when Cambodia experienced peace and prosperity,” Parkhurst said in a statement.

The Bankhead will host a screening and a Q&A with the directors on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. See here for tickets and here to learn more about the film.