Silverdocs film festival addresses pollution in Cambodia

The annual Silverdocs documentary film festival runs through June 27 in Silver Spring. This year's lineup of 102 films from 54 countries includes a few films with science themes, such as "Born Sweet," a heartbreaker about Vinh, a Cambodian boy with arsenic poisoning. In his rural village, tainted drinking water has given someone in almost every family arsenic poisoning, which causes black spots on the skin, coughing, diarrhea and vomiting. Vinh's father and grandfather are also afflicted. The boy dreams of becoming a karaoke star but grapples with what he sees as his destiny: "In this world, some people are salty, some people are sweet," he says in a voice-over. "The salty are strong, the sweet are sickly." This 28-minute film plays with a group of three other shorts Tuesday at noon at the AFI Silver Theatre and also on June 23. See http://www.silverdocs.com for ticket information.