Abstract:

"In the 1970's, one of every seven Cambodians died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, a communist guerilla army. The Khmer Rouge tried to annihilate everything the Cambodians believed in: the family, dance and music, and most important, their Buddhist religion. Facing death and destruction, 150,000 Cambodians fled to America. Rebuilding The Temple: Cambodians in America is the first documentary to examine the refugees' efforts to adjust to Western life and the significant role played by the Khmer-Buddhist culture in this difficult process. The film portrays a people who arrived unprepared for the Western work world, school system and way of life. yet, with a resilience born of hardship, they struggle to build their temples, hold their religious ceremonies, pass on their heritage -- in short, to survive as a culture."