Jul 14 min read

Phnom Penh & Cinema: Local short films take centre stage at the Cambodia International Film Festival

This year's Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) featured a rich programme of 10 sections, ranging from horror films to documentaries and films carrying a strong social message.

Festival international du film au Cambodge

On Wednesday 26 June, the Cinéma Fable at the Factory hosted the first of three series of short films selected for the CIFF. A six-part collection lasting a total of 76 minutes. It was a moment when a number of short cinematographic works were able to see the light of day, thanks in particular to a number of Khmer talents.

The Rubber Tappers, the story of white gold from Ratanakiri province

The very first short film by French-Cambodian artist Rotha Moeng, made in 2023, "Les saigneurs (Caoutchouc)" in French and "អ្ននកម្រៀចៀរជួ័រ" in Khmer is a meaningful 20-minute film set on a rubber plantation in Ratanakiri province, in the north of the Kingdom.

In this story, I followed young Khlek as if he were a little boy I'd known all my life, whom I wanted to reassure and listen to for hours on end. I wanted to take him by the hand and tell him why his parents, who belong to the Kroeung ethnic minority, work on these plantations, but also to understand his questions, his fears and his pain.

A short film that transported me into a living atmosphere where the spirit of the trees and a lost forest survive in the face of the work of the "saigneurs", the rubber men, who with their knives make the latex, the white gold of this region, flow.

Official poster for the film, "The rubber tappers Caoutchouc"

Where is my father? between hope and a quest for life

A 7-minute short film directed in 2024 by Chamroeun Phun and produced by the PSE Film School, "Where is my father? ឯណាទៅឪពុកខ្ញ" in Khmer, tells the story of Dara, a young Cambodian student who is growing up and building a life while his father is away.

Along with his friend Try, the two university students drew me into their search for hope amidst their doubts and dreams. In particular, Dara's dream of buying a house to live with her mother in the city.

Moments of reflection that resonated with me. This indelible feeling of gratitude towards my parents and this unwavering desire to make them proud and to offer them "all the gold in the world", even if it will never be equal to the sacrifices they have made and what they have achieved for their children.

Official poster for the film "Where is my father?”

Offrande, Buddhist rituals in animation

With his short film "Offrande", "សែនព្រែន" in Khmer, lasting 4 minutes and made in 2022. Cambodian director Pagna Chan took the audience on a spiritual journey through Buddhist rituals. Using modern animation techniques, religious prayers are brought to life from childhood to adulthood in bright colours.

It's a way of helping viewers understand the rituals that lead to a path of enlightenment. It was a short but meaningful moment for the audience, with many of them finding every moment familiar and meaningful.

Golden Dragon, the intersection of old traumas and unknown reality

"Golden Dragon", "នាគមាស" in Khmer, is a 17-minute short film made in 2023 by Chhith Boren.

As Vicheka wakes up in a hospital in the coastal town of Sihanoukville, he tries to understand the reason for his visit. Overwhelmed by his dreams, his memories and the rapidly urbanising landscape of his hometown, a conversation with a local nurse, who gives him a box containing a drawing of his dead father's face, brings back all his traumas.

Chhith Boren's work has tormented audiences between a painful past and a landmarkless present in which Vicheka seeks to find her way back into life and make peace with her memories.

Official poster of the film "Golden Dragon”

Wing B, the bird's nest enchanter

Known for his 2014 documentary film "Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock & Roll", John Pirozzi is back this year with the 13-minute short "Wing B".

In this new production, an old man travels by bus from Phnom Penh to his native village in Kep. This return to his roots reveals his personal relationship with nature, and more specifically with birds. A character who made the audience laugh out loud.

Arrangements, an exploration of the tangled and complex nature of the family

Inspired by her personal experience of complicated female friendships and the rom-coms of the 1930s/40s. Thavary Krouch's 12-minute short takes audiences to Chicago's bustling West Town, where two cousins, once inseparable, find themselves estranged. But life has a funny way of bringing these two women together, even when old wounds remain raw.

A heartfelt comedy with a humorous tone that immersed the audience in a complex family dynamic that many could relate to, especially Asian mothers who worry about their daughters who have not yet married or found true love at a certain age.

"This film explores the profound impact that life transitions, turning points and reinventions can have on close personal relationships. It's really this question that plagues us: What happens when someone's desire for change arouses fears in those closest to us?" one audience member admitted at the end of the screening.