Kosal Khiev Why I Write by Masahiro Sugano

Kosal, a poet and tattoo artist, resides in Phnom Penh after spending 14 years of his life in a U.S. prison.

Raw and unassuming, his performance makes walls disappear leaving room only for emotions. An act for Kosal to reclaim his place in the world as a free man, a step that begins in Cambodia not America.

WHY I WRITE received the well deserved prize for the Best Poem Performance on Film at the Zebra Poetry Film Festival

We screened WHY I WRITE first at our Zebra Poetry special at DL9 | The 9th Berlin International Directors Lounge.

WHY I WRITE is the first episode in a series of spoken word videos by Khmer American exile Khiev Kosal in collaboration with Studio Revolt. Kosal, a poet and tattoo artist resides in Phnom Penh after spending 14 years of his life in a U.S. prison. Kosal tells pieces of his story through the art of spoken word poetry. His poetry is ripped from his guts and excavated from a place between confinement and freedom. Raw and unassuming, his performance makes walls disappear leaving room only for emotions. This spoken word video is an act for Kosal to reclaim his place in the world as a free man, a step that begins in Cambodia not America.