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View video clips below and find out where they are today.
Mike Siv
Michael "Adoe" Siv was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and raised in San Francisco's Tenderloin District. Like many of the families in this neighborhood, Mike and his mother fled the chaos and bloodshed of the Khmer Rouge in their native Cambodia. Mike is a recent graduate of San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Liberal Studies, and met filmmaker Spencer Nakasako while doing a workshop at the Vietnamese Youth Development Center. Mike’s first documentary, Who I Became (co-directed with Aram Collier) was part of the Matters of Race series that premiered on PBS in 2003. The film follows the life of Ponnloeu Chia, a 21-year-old Cambodian refugee on the brink of fatherhood and in the middle of Federal probation. When not studying or working on film projects, Mike spends his time coaching the Tenderloin youth basketball team the Little Bombers.
Watch as Mike prepares to see his father and brother after more than 20 years >>
Sophal Meas
Sophal "Paul" Meas was born in a Thailand refugee camp on the border of Cambodia. His family immigrated to the United States when he was two years old. Paul, the middle child in a family of six, never finished high school. Presently, he works in a retail shoe store as a salesperson and is trying to get his GED. Every Wednesday, Paul can be found playing shooting guard on the basketball team the Little Bombers.
Watch Paul talk about making friends with his long-lost sister >>
David Mark
David Mark was born in New York City. His family came to the Tenderloin District in 1984. At 18 years old, he is trying to make it on his own, sharing an apartment with a friend from the Tenderloin. He hopes to get back to school someday to earn his GED. Mark is the small forward for the Little Bombers basketball team.
Watch David meet his grandfather and aunt for the first time >>
Director/Producer Spencer Nakasako reports on what the three subjects have been up to since the filming of REFUGEE:
“Mike's family is pretty much the same, except that Nang has more contact with his dad now, and I think Mike and his mom are talking more. In fact, at the Vietnamese Youth Development Center where we work in the Tenderloin, we're discussing the possibility of having Mike and his mom together for screenings at schools, community groups, social service agencies, etc. to facilitate discussion regarding generation gap issues.
David's ‘grandfather/uncle’ (his mom's brother) recently passed away, so I think David feels fortunate that he got up the nerve to visit him when he had the chance.
Paul's sister's house is finished being built.”
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