Film
The Harvest (film)
The Harvest is a 2023 Hmong American family drama, directed by Caylee So, about a son who returns home to Southern California after an accident.[1][2] So is a co-founder of the Cambodia Town Film Festival, and her earlier feature, In the Life of Music, was Cambodia's official entry for the Academy Awards.[1][3]
Synopsis
When a car accident leaves his family in need, Thai, an aspiring writer, returns to his parents' house in Southern California and finds their world in disarray, with mounting medical bills and family secrets.[1][4] His father, Cher, is a tough and stubborn Hmong man suffering from kidney failure who refuses to take his medicine.[1][5] Cher is disappointed that his son left home and quit a tutoring job to work in a restaurant.[5] Thai is torn between his fractured family and a life free from traditional burdens.[1] The film deals with generational trauma, identity and family bonds in a traditional, male-centered household, and with Hmong traditions as they change.[3][2]
The title refers to Hmong slash-and-burn farming, in which ash feeds the soil but the method destroys the land over time.[6]
Production and credits
Doua Moua wrote the film, plays Thai and produced it with John Houselog.[7][8] It is his first feature as a writer. He began the script after finishing work on Gran Torino and rewrote it many times; he has said the screenplay took 11 years to reach the screen.[8][7] Moua and Houselog asked So to direct.[8] So has said that directing a script written through a male lens changed how the film shows its world, especially its women, and that she wanted every member of the family to have a voice and a story of their own.[7][8]
The script was first set in Minnesota. Production limits moved the story to Long Beach, California, and the script and characters were changed to reflect the Los Angeles community.[6] Casting director Dea Vise helped find the supporting cast.[6] Perry Yung plays Cher, Dawn Ying Yuen plays Youa and Chrisna Chhor, in her first acting role, plays the daughter, Sue.[9][8] Brian Nguyen was the cinematographer, Frank Martinez edited the film and Roman Molino Dunn composed the music.[9] Chiyou Entertainment is the production company.[1] Filming took 21 days.[8]
The screenplay was a finalist for the CAPE Black List and reached the semifinals of the Academy Nicholl Fellowship.[3]
Release and reception
The film had its world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February 2023.[3][4] It went on to screen at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival and Outfest Fusion, received a Special Award at the Cambodian Film Festival, and was nominated for the Anti-Defamation League Stand Up Award.[3][2] Freestyle Digital Media acquired the domestic distribution rights.[3] It was released on Amazon and YouTube on June 20, 2025, and later became available on Apple TV.[8] So has said that audiences were surprised by how strongly the family story moved them.[7]
The CTFF listing gives a running time of 110 minutes; We Are Moving Stories gives 1 hour, 49 minutes and 40 seconds.[9][7]
At the Cambodia Town Film Festival
The film screened at the Art Theatre of Long Beach on September 14, 2025, followed by a filmmakers' Q&A on independent filmmaking moderated by Sommer Nguyen of the OG Yolk Podcast.[1] It is one of the films shown at the Cambodia Town Film Festival in Long Beach, California.
- 2025: official selection.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Cambodia Town Film Festival, CTFF 2025 OFFICIAL SELECTION: The Harvest (archived)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 IMDb, Doua Moua - News (2025-04-11)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Variety, Asian-American Family Drama 'The Harvest' Acquired by Freestyle Digital Media, Trailer Unveiled (EXCLUSIVE) (2025-04-11)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Voice of America Thai, Hmong American film by Cambodian filmmaker set for world premiere (2023-02-20)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 AsianMoviePulse via IMDb, Film Review: The Harvest (2023) by Caylee So (2023-02-24)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 GMA News Online, 'The Harvest' movie director delves more into the complexity of families in her latest film (2023-03-14)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 We Are Moving Stories, The Harvest
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Longfellow Nokomis Messenger, 'The Harvest' stars Twin Cities native (2025-07-25)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Cambodia Town Film Festival, CTFF 2025 OFFICIAL SELECTION: The Harvest (2025-08-25)