Broken Courage is a film about memory, history and reconciliation. It’s about how trauma has touched us all, the interconnectivity of stories and their power to heal.
Meet Suon Rottana, a teenage Khmer Rouge rebel, a soldier with the Cambodian army, a prisoner of war and a landmine amputee. Suon is a wounded man looking for redemption and reconciliation. His journey of reflection led him to share his story as a tour guide at several war museums just outside the majestic temples of Angkor Wat Cambodia.
Broken Courage is a story about the power of story. The strength and healing that can be found in community can reach into the trauma that touches us all. Suon’s story will become a springboard into conversations about PTSD and the idea of intergenerational trauma, the effects of which go beyond the immediate survivors, being passed onto others in their families and communities, and even to subsequent generations. Set against the backdrop of the beautiful and historically tragic country of Cambodia -The Kingdom of Wonder - this personal journey will remind us all what it means to find our way back home.
UnSeen, in partnership, with The SoChange Foundation is a campaign that will leverage Broken Courage as an example of efforts to make a positive impact on society and our own healing and reconciliation. The public engagement initiative will provide resources to build on the film and explore teachable moments, including in-depth expert interviews about inner healing, and trans-generational trauma and an online forum to promote ongoing dialogue.
Several partnerships are in place with media, creative and Canadian Mental Health organizations, and other NGO's combined with a robust social media strategy.
Please donate to our film and help us spread the word about the story, the potential for impact and our desire for social change.
David Peck (Director and Producer) is the founder of SoChange, a social enterprise and has provided consulting services for leadership, health and literacy projects around the world. Holding a Master’s Degree in Philosophy, David is an in-demand speaker and has completed postgraduate work in International Development, and teaches in the business school at Humber College in Toronto.
David was named a Global Hero by Verge magazine in 2009.
In 2006 alongside of TVO he co-created and co-produced the award-winning children's television show Spellz. His much-listened to podcast, Face2Face, is an intimate, in depth conversation with filmmakers on social change and how it all plays into their role as filmmakers.
David is a published author, Irreconcilable Differences, and, Real Change is Incremental, which was nominated recently for a word guild culture award.
Nathanael Draper (Director, Cinematographer and Producer) is a Vancouver based filmmaker with commercials and short films of various genres to his name. At the age of sixteen, he was approached by Machinima.com to enter into a director partnership program where he created original shorts using video games.
Recently he’s directed web content for Canadian charities including the Alzheimer Society of Ontario and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Other projects include a music video for his own musical group FrĀmz as well as a short film titled Yellow Can which was selected by the CMS Vatavaran Environment & Wildlife International Film Festival in 2017.
His most recent film ‘Shiraz’, inspired by his own journey to the middle east in 2014 was filmed in Iran and Vancouver and is currently finishing post-production. It is set to hit the film festival scene later this year.
He believes that the most engaging stories not only entertain but also challenge audiences to re-examine our self-perceptions and interactions in the world around us.