Caylee So - Filmmaker
In this episode of Death in Cambodia, Life in America, I sit down with Caylee So, a Cambodian-American filmmaker, veteran, and co-founder of the Cambodian Town Film Festival. Born in a refugee camp after her parents fled the Khmer Rouge, Caylee shares her incredible journey from growing up in Virginia to serving in the Army National Guard and ultimately finding her voice through filmmaking.
We talk about the life-altering impact of her mother’s death, her deployment to Iraq, and how these experiences shaped her understanding of identity, heritage, and storytelling. Caylee opens up about her path from business student to creative writer to director, and why she feels it’s more important than ever to bring Cambodian narratives to the screen.
From directing morale plays during her time in the military to creating films like In the Life of Music, Caylee’s story is a testament to resilience, self-discovery, and the power of diverse voices in cinema.
This episode is a tribute to the importance of telling the stories that matter—and to building spaces where new ones can thrive.
