PEN America Presents “Collaboration & Commemoration”

May 12, 2025 | 10:30 am EDT | Zoom

New York, NY; April 23, 2025– PEN America invites its members and guests to a special online event, Collaboration & Commemoration: A Member Exclusive Webinar, taking place on Monday, May 12, 2025, at 10:30 am (EDT). This timely international conversation brings together three remarkable artists whose work transcends borders and bridges generations through memory, healing, and creative resistance.

Moderated by Julie Trébault, Executive Director of the Artists at Risk Connection, the panel features PEN America member, award-winning playwright and librettist Catherine Filloux, Cambodian American artist and policy expert Amara Goel, and renowned composer and Khmer Rouge survivor Him Sophy.

The discussion will explore the creation of Where Elephants Weep, a groundbreaking Cambodian-American rock opera, set in the shadow of genocide. The panelists will reflect on their deeply personal collaborations, the legacy of Cambodian resilience, and the transformative role of art in confronting historical trauma.

“Stories and human rights embody my work in theater and opera. My writing creates a prism-like structure where audiences, in their different ways, have their own active understanding of the narratives. To believe in the strength of art is a form of resistance, which includes collaboration and commemoration.” — Catherine Filloux, playwright and librettist

This webinar is free for PEN America members, and accessible for all at this link: https://pen.org/event/collaboration-and-commemoration-a-member-exclusive-webinar. ​ Non-members are also welcome to attend and are encouraged to join the organization to access exclusive events and a global community of writers and advocates. Membership details are available at pen.org/join.

SPEAKER BIOS:

Julie Trébault (Moderator)
​Julie Trébault is the Executive Director of the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), where she defends and advances the right to artistic freedom worldwide. She previously served as Director of Public Programs at the Museum of the City of New York and holds Master’s degrees from Sorbonne University and the University of Strasbourg.

Catherine Filloux
​Catherine Filloux is an award-winning French Algerian American playwright and librettist who has spent decades creating work centered on human rights. Her plays and operas have been produced nationally and internationally. Her opera *Where Elephants Weep* premiered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, was broadcast on Cambodian national TV, and is available on Broadway on Demand. She is renowned for her global contributions to genocide-focused and justice-driven theater. www.catherinefilloux.com

Amara Goel
​Amara Goel is a Cambodian American performing artist and policy analyst. She has appeared in *Where Elephants Weep*, *Sun and Sea*, and *Winds of Angkor*. Amara has worked on global hunger and child labor crises for World Vision and currently consults at the International Labour Organization on the eradication of child and forced labor.

Him Sophy
​A survivor of the Khmer Rouge, Him Sophy is a celebrated composer who holds a PhD from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. His musical style blends Western classical, Khmer traditional, and rock influences. His work for *Where Elephants Weep* was praised by BBC World News as “a rock opera that wouldn’t look out of place in London’s West End or New York’s Broadway.” www.himsophy.com

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