Cheanick Doung

Cheanick Doung, also known by her nickname Kara, was born on February 23, 1987, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Her parents both passed away in an accident when she was just 13 years-old and she was raised by an older sister and other family members during this difficult period in her life. She attended Singapore International School learning English early on as her secondary language. Cheanick continued her studies throughout secondary, high school and college eventually completing her formal education with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from IBE Accounting Institute in Phnom Penh. In 2006, with no prior modeling experience, Cheanick was discovered at a public event and signed by Sapors Modeling Agency, one of Cambodia's premier modeling and talent agencies. At Sapors, she modeled at runway fashion shows and events for many international fashion brands such as Axara, a leading Paris fashion house and has appeared in over 50 magazine shoots for various local and international brands. During her time with Sapors, Cheanick also established herself as one of the elite presenters in the Cambodia talent scene with her natural beauty, casual demure style and ability to capture the crowd's attention as a host and MC. In 2009, Cheanick was chosen from a selection of over 300 models to be the Spokesmodel for Smart Mobile, one of Cambodia's largest wireless phone operators. Cheanick went on a countrywide tour helping to promote Smart by being the "face" of the brand. A full campaign built around Cheanick was launched that included radio, billboards, live appearances and television commercials which ran through the end of her year-long contract. Subsequently, other Spokesmodels and Brand Ambassadors for Smart include many notable models and celebrity artists such as Laura Mam, Khmer-American Singer and Songwriter. In 2011, Cheanick embarked on a career in television. With her prior modeling experience at Sapors and her recent Spokesmodel assignment at Smart as a foundation, she took a chance and interviewed for a news broadcaster spot with CNC (Cambodian News Channel). During the audition, she impressed the producers with her poise, easy-going charm and photogenic appearance. Out of a field of hundreds of applicants, Cheanick was chosen as one of the only female anchors for CNC and started her news broadcasting training with the network. In 2012, Cheanick officially did her first show on live television and since then, she has steadily risen to become an audience favorite with her reporting of current events in Cambodia. In 2013, she was rewarded with an opportunity to produce and host her own lifestyle themed show on CNC called "My Story, My Life". Cheanick received her first break in movies in 2013 with the lead role in "Cham Ta Klach Tas" a Rock Production film. The modest-budget movie was shot entirely in the country and featured an all-Khmer cast. The film received good reviews and showed at the iconic Lux Cinema on Preah Norodom Boulevard before going to video shortly after the release. Cheanick's acting role in the project caught the attention of veteran Cambodian filmmaker, Chhay Bora who invited her to a walk-on audition for 3.50, a Singapore-Cambodia joint film production about the story of a brash documentary filmmaker who ventures into the dark underbelly of Cambodia's virginity trade to rescue a young girl taken from her village and sold into prostitution. The screenplay was written by Justin Deimen, and co-directed by Singaporean director Eysham Ali and Chhay Bora whose latest movie (Lost Loves) was Cambodia's entry to the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film in 2013. Cheanick won the role of "Lea" and Co-Starred with Eunice Olsen (also the Producer), Kwanlar Nyirady, Long Sonita, and Oung Soria. 3.50 debuted in 2014 at the Freedom Film Festival in Singapore and released at Cambodian theaters in September 2015.