After the Flood

After surviving the Khmer Rouge and rebuilding their lives in Western North Carolina, a Cambodian couple loses their home to Hurricane Helene yet refuses to leave, holding onto work, land, and routine as the fragile promise of the American Dream remains just out of reach.

Nhim and Son are Cambodian refugees who survived the Khmer Rouge and built a life in Western North Carolina through years of quiet, steady labor. Nhim works at a factory sewing military uniforms and blankets alongside mostly blind and immigrant coworkers. Son works long shifts at a regional grocery distribution center. Their days are defined by routine, responsibility, and endurance. When Hurricane Helene floods their community and destroys their home, Nhim and Son are displaced once again—living temporarily in an RV while waiting to rebuild. Despite pressure to leave, they refuse. This land, shaped by work and memory, is home. Set in the aftermath of the storm, the film observes how survival carries forward through labor, patience, and attachment to place. As the American Dream remains perpetually just beyond reach, the story reveals resilience not as triumph, but as persistence—rooted in the decision to stay.

Director| Jeremy Seifert

Producer| Rebekah Fergusson

Cinematographer| Benjamin James Roberts