This changed when her father became ill with cancer, it brought a new urgency for Marina to come to terms with him and his past. It was to be a long and conciliatory farewell.
"The final conviction to really make a film about the life story of my father was the unbelievably heartfelt encounter with my relatives during the funeral in Cambodia. My sisters, my partner and I brought my father's urn to his home village where it was buried with all the important Buddhist and Brahman rituals. The family welcomed us with such warmth and gave us such a feeling of belonging and connection that I could finally see, feel, and eventually also tell the narrative of the film."
IT BECAME CONCRETE
The film and its story were increasingly taking shape. It should be about closeness and distance, alienation and connection, and Marina Kem tried to find a production company for the project. However no producer quite trusted himself with the complicated topic. Finally, in 2010, Oliver Neis, originally an advertising-film director, Marina Kem and producer Stefan Heinen founded their own company: STERNTAUCHER Filmproduktion.
