PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Shown by film, food, pharmaceuticals and a $ 20 cash voucher, Cambodia cyclo taxi drivers received a rare concoction at the weekend, and a brief pull from tough times as the coronavirus kills taxation of tourism.
Hundreds of drivers struggling to meet heads were spotted exploding in their vehicles with pedals during the special screening on Saturday, when a mobile movie theater started in a grassy garden in the the capital of Phnom Penh.
They were shown the new film “Fathers” by local director Huy Yaleng, about the daily battle of a cyclo driver to support a family.
“I was scared. I remember having to do anything and everything to support my family, ”said Sun Sokhorm, 67, a 34-year-old cyclo driver.
“The story felt like my own. “
Cambodia cyclo drivers have long been a great choice for visitors who want to take in the sights and enjoy Phnom Penh at a leisurely pace.
But the devastating impact of the pandemic coronavirus on global travel on tourist numbers is falling, even though Cambodia has reported fewer than 500 cases, with no deaths.
Sokhorm earns about a third of what it did before the pandemic, sometimes as little as $ 3 per day.
“There’s not much left, but I can survive,” he said.
The film was very popular with the drivers, one of whom was 93, who was born just a few years before cyclos first appeared in the former French colony in 1936.
The film pedal in was the brainchild of Taing Huang Hao, 20, who met with Sokhorm last month and helped raise money on social media for cyclo drivers. In the latest round, he teamed up with director Yaleng to raise $ 5,000 for distribution at the private screening.
“They see themselves within the hardships of the film, so that they don’t feel like they’re going through this on their own,” he said.
“They are the storytellers of the town,” he said.