His fellow villagers believe ten year-old Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe) is cursed, and the cause of bad luck for everyone around him. When his rural Laotian village is displaced to make way for a massive dam, Ahlo sets out to find a new home, and to prove once and for all that he’s not cursed.

Along the way, Ahlo meets the spirited orphan Kia (Loungnom Kaosainam) and her eccentric Uncle Purple (Thep Phongam), who has a James Brown fetish. Together, they come across a rocket festival that offers a lucrative—but dangerous—chance for a new beginning.

Winner of the Audience Choice awards at the Sydney and Tribeca film festivals, as well as the Crystal Bear award at Berlinale, The Rocket stars former street child Disamoe in a heart-warming journey, taking the audience to lush, steamy Laos through the lens of young Ahlo.