Organizer:  Center for Khmer Studies

Type/Location: Virtual

Description:

Drawing from empirical observations, this study is centered on the present-day art house cinema landscape in Phnom Penh. While Cambodia’s cinematic Golden Age, spanning from Independence to 1975, has been extensively studied, scholarship on current cinema is almost nonexistent. Moreover, Cambodia’s standing in comparison to its Southeast Asian neighbors remains relatively modest.

This research aims to shed light on a Cambodian cinema renaissance through the examination of interrelated developments. First, it focuses on the evolution of the Bophana Audiovisual Center, initiated by Cambodian-French filmmaker Rithy Panh in 2006, from an archival entity to a hub for film education. Notably, Bophana has generated a multitude of socially-conscious videos; those have exerted both direct influence through training and indirect influence through its cinematic models, topics and archival resources, contributing to the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers. The presentation goes on to profile several contemporary “homegrown” cinematographers who have persevered in challenging circumstances to create impactful and artful works, which have received prestigious awards beyond Cambodia’s borders.

The study concludes by raising questions regarding the present state of Cambodian cinema: the constraints posed by short formats, potential governmental backing for art-house films, and the broader challenge of engaging younger audiences with this form of cinematic art.

Speaker:

Martine Guyot-Bender is a CKS Senior Fellow and professor of contemporary French Literature and Film at Hamilton College in Central New York State.

Moderator:

George Chigas is an Associate Teaching Professor Emeritus in Cambodian Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he taught courses in Cambodian literature and cultural history.

Registration:

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