Directed by: Chansamai Phanouvong (ກໍາກັບໂດຍ: ຈັນສະໄໝ ພານຸວົງ)
Written & Edited by: Chansamai Phanouvong (ບົດປະພັນ & ຮຽບຮຽງໂດຍ ຈັນສະໄໝ ພານຸວົງ)
Genres: documentary, short (ຮູບເງົາແນວ: ສາລະຄະດີ, ລະຄອນສັ້ນ)
Duration: 14:49 mins (ຄວາມຍາວ: 14:49 ນາທີ)
Year: 2020 (ປີ: 2020)

ທີ່ໂຮງງານເກືອແຫ່ງໜຶ່ງໄດ້ເກີດເຄາະຮ້າຍ ເນື່ອງຈາກຕັ້ງຢູ່ໃກ້ສະຖານທີ່ກໍ່ສ້າງທາງລົດໄຟ ລາວ-ຈີນ. ໃນຊ່ວງທົດສະວັດທີ່ຜ່ານມາ ໄດ້ຖືກບັງຄັບໃຫ້ຍົກຍ້າຍຖິ່ນຖານຕັ້ງສາມຄັ້ງເພື່ອຮອງຮັບເສັ້ນທາງລົດໄຟສາຍໃໝ່.

A salt factory has the misfortune of being located near the construction site of the Lao-China Railway. It has been forced to relocate three times in the last decade to accommodate the new train line.

BoTen-BoPiad is the debut film for writer, director, and editor, Chansamai Phanouvong. This documentary was funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and is part of the “Stories From The Train” anthology, documenting how construction of the Lao-China Railway impacts the lives of villages in its path. A famous salt factory in Northern Laos, Boten Salt Factory has been operating with the same labour intensive traditional methods for over 30 years. The factory draws workers to the area and tourists come to marvel at the old-school production methods. However, the factory’s success is undermined by the construction of the Laos-China Railway. Chansamai realised the traditional “way of making salt was changing and I wanted to capture it.” 

Filmmaker’s Profile: Chansamai Phanouvong (1990)
Born in Xiengkhouang Province and moved to Vientiane when she was young, Chansamai Phanouvong (Tou) is the middle of three children. She majored in Environmental Studies at the National University of Laos, and currently works as a freelance documentary filmmaker. She resides in Khammouane Province and commutes often to visit her family in Vientiane.

Chansamai began her film career in 2013 when she joined the technical staff at the Dok Lao Centre under the Participatory Development Training Center (PADETC) in Vientiane. Dok Lao promotes media production for education and sustainable development. Under their tutelage for more than four years, Chansamai was trained in filmmaking and production, while assisting with administrative work such as organising workshops, film festivals, and training other young artists.

With a newfound interest in coffee, she is building a cafe in Khammouane Province called INFEE (INdependence CoFEE). Her next project is a documentary about the residents at the largest landfill in the country, located 36 km from Vientiane Capital.

Filmography
2019 – I Felt Happy, writer, camerawoman, director
2020 – BoTen BoPiad, director, writer, editor, camerawoman
2022 – The Mind, director, writer, camerawoman