By Kylie Tam
Sun Over Haven—directed by Yanny Yan, produced and edited by Jade Tyler, with warm, close-quarters cinematography by Brandan Lapeyre and additional shaping by assistant editors Brandan Lapeyre and Yanny Yan—follows Haven Training Restaurant in Siem Reap, Cambodia, a social enterprise offering hospitality apprenticeships to youth from challenging backgrounds. Curated by Actuality Abroad, the film centers Samoun’s journey, showing how hands-on training, mentorship, and daily practice build real skills and confidence.
What moved me most is how the film frames resilience and community support as practical tools that interrupt cycles of poverty. Watching Samoun grow through Haven’s program underscores how guidance and belief can change the arc of a young person’s future—and how that hope can ripple outward into the wider community.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Kylie Tam Studies Communication Studies at Chapman University.
