LOUNG UNG is a Public Speaker, bestselling author, and activist. She is also the co-screenplay writer of a 2017 Netflix Original Movie directed by Angelina Jolie based on her memoir, First They Killed My Father, which is now streaming on Netflix in over 100 countries.
“Ung’s memoir should serve as a reminder that some history is best not left just to historians, but to those left standing when the terror ends.” ~ Booklist
Who Is Loung Ung
Loung Ung is public speaker, activist, and bestselling author of ‘First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, Lucky Child, and Lulu in the Sky. She is also a co-screenplay writer of a Netflix Original Movie, “First They Killed My Father”. Loung’s books are widely taught and selected for community read programs in high schools and universities across the U.S. and internationally. First They Killed My Father has been translated into 15 languages, including Khmer, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese. Loung’s books are widely taught in high schools and universities.
Since 1995, Loung has made over thirty trips back to Cambodia and has devoted herself to helping her native land heal from the traumas of war. She has worked as an activist to end violence against women, child soldiers, and the Campaign for a Landmine Free World, serving as its spokesperson from 1997-2005. In 2013, Loung expanded her activism reach as one of the writers for Girl Rising, a groundbreaking documentary film directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Robbins. Girl Rising tells the stories of 9 extraordinary girls from 9 countries and their stories of forced marriage, domestic slavery, sex trafficking, and gender violence and the power of education to change their worlds. Today, Loung and her husband Mark Priemer, are co-owners in three successful restaurants and two microbreweries (www.marketgardenbrewery.com) in Cleveland, Ohio.
The World Economic Forum selected Loung as one of the “100 Global Youth Leaders of Tomorrow.” Among the publications, television and radio shows she has been featured on are The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, People Magazine, CNN, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and The Today Show. In addition, she has been the subject of documentary films broadcast by Nightline, German ARTE, and Japanese NHK. Loung has given hundreds of keynote addresses at numerous forums in the U.S. and internationally, including at, Stanford University, Dartmouth College, Philips Academy, Facing History and Ourselves, Women in the World Summit, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Mexico 1 Million Youth Summit.
