AsiaLIFE

Recent years have seen a growth in the contemporary arts scene in Cambodia. Festivals such as the Angkor Photography Exhibition have put the kingdom back on the international arts map. Dengue Fever has introduced a Cambodian sound to the rest of the world. Cambodian artists are beginning to build a reputation in the region. But what of film? The opening of an exhibition celebrating the golden era of Cambodian film begs the question – is the Cambodian film industry ready for a take-off? Words by Nora Lindstrom.

The atmosphere is buzzing, cameras are flashing, and the walls are covered in film posters and other movie paraphernalia. Journalists are queuing to interview the actress and the director, while a host of dignitaries await the opening speeches. Even without a red carpet, you would be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled on the opening night of a new film. Except for that the contemporary Cambodian film industry is dormant.

Instead of celebrating the premiere of something new, this is the opening of Golden Reawakening, a festival and exhibition commemorating the 60s and 70s of Cambodian film. The actress is Dy Saveth, one of the most famous actresses of the era, and the director is Ly Bun Yim, one of few from the then-budding Cambodian film industry who survived the Khmer Rouge. Many of the posters on the wall are reproductions made by contemporary, young Cambodian artists.

The crowd is right to celebrate what is known as the “golden era” of Cambodian film. With Phnom Penh high on the post-independence buzz, and King Norodom Sihanouk leading the way, over 350 Cambodian feature films were made over a period of about 15 years.

“People used to crowd to Phnom Penh from the provinces to go to the cinema,” Dy Saveth remembers. “The industry had a lot of support from the audience. There was only one TV channel, no karaoke, no cable TV, so there was a lot of interest in making and watching films.”

Ly Bun Yim agrees. The industry was very competitive at the time, with as many as 30 cinemas in Phnom Penh only. “All producers wanted to make quality films to attract audiences. That’s why a very developed movie industry emerged,” he says. “The actors and actresses were very skilled and very professional, not like today when many short-lived “stars” are simply promoted by some rich people. Back then the stars were very famous.”

Few of the Golden Era films survived the Khmer Rouge. “We have only found 33 of the 350 films produced,” says Davy Chou, curator of the Golden Reawakening exhibition. The 26-year old Frenchman has personal reasons to be fascinated by the era. His grandfather, Van Chann, was one of the best-known movie producers until his disappearance in 1969. “I’d never shown much interest in learning more about my grandfather, I just knew he used to make films,” Davy says. “Then one day I asked my aunt about it and she told me about the Cambodian movies of the 60s and 70s. It was such an amazing story, I just wanted to know more and more.”

An amateur filmmaker himself, Davy travelled to Phnom Penh with the intention of filming a documentary of the Golden Era. The festival and exhibition grew out of the material he managed to gather for the documentary. “The quality of the old films is very bad, but the films... I can’t say that they are very good films, but what is so interesting to see, and what I hope people will take away from this exhibition, is the joy of seeing a happy time in Cambodia,” he says.

False Dawn

In terms of the film industry, however, those happy times are far away. Few seem to expect their imminent return. Matthew Robinson, founder of Khmer Mekong Films (KMF), maintains there is no Cambodian film industry to speak of. “How can there be a film industry if there are no cinemas to show the films in?” he asks. Matthew set up KMF in 2006 with the specific intention of making quality feature films for the Cambodian market.

“At that stage, there were many more cinemas than there are now,” he says. “We thought that there was a reasonable chance that if we made quality films that appealed to the Cambodian audience, then we would get our money back. We thought there was a chance to show them internationally and take off as a film company,” he explains. “But plans change.” According to him, the film industry has collapsed since then, partly due to the rise in real estate prices that turned many cinemas into more profitable hotels and clubs. “Filmmakers stopped making films.” Currently, there are only two commercial cinemas left in Phnom Penh – Cinema Lux and Sorya.

Alain Arnaudet, Director of the French Cultural Centre, which houses one of the capital’s few remaining cinemas, shares Matthew’s opinion of the current situation. “I think it has a long way to go to be an actual film industry,” he says. “As far as I know, cinema in Cambodia is not really cinema.”

The most common film genre at the moment is what is known as “ghost stories”. These are generally cheap, inane films, loosely based on traditional folk stories with bad special effects and often unintelligible storylines. Matthew dismisses them as “unwatchable”.

The Cambodian film industry is mired in a vicious cycle where bad films make for low audience turnouts, which in turn leads to the closure of cinemas. Without places to screen quality films, what’s the point of making them?

Next Generation

Lack of professional training for nascent filmmakers is another issue. Borei Sylyvann, 24, is a graduate of Department of Media and Communication (DMC) at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, perhaps the closest thing to a film school in Cambodia. Sylyvann’s friends Prum Seila, 22, and Lim Seang Heng, 21, are students there. The trio recently completed a short documentary, Three Generations, made with support from the U.S. Embassy and M.E.T.A. film school. Lamenting the piecemeal training in film available to young Cambodians, they say it’s difficult for young people to get support for realising their ideas.

Sylyvann finds little inspiration in contemporary Cambodian productions. Instead he looks abroad, as well as back to the 60s for motivation and encouragement. “We need more education, support and resources to bring back the glory of the past,” says Seila.

M.E.T.A film school, started by Nico Mesterharm earlier in the year, is one place those interested in films can receive training. A documentary filmmaker himself, Nico felt it was time to share his skills. Around 15 students work with Nico, getting on the job training producing short films. “Students often underestimate the scope of the work, they think it’s an easy job to be filmmaker,” Nico says. Many of those who initially started the “master class” have dropped out. “You need to put in the hours,” he stresses. Simply picking up a camera doesn’t make you a filmmaker.

Though Nico expects it to take at least a decade for the Cambodian film industry to develop, he nevertheless sees providing training to young people as worthwhile. “Filmmaking helps people develop a culture of discussion,” he Nico. “Films in Cambodia, and in fact most developing countries, are the best way to reach out to people.”

On the Road

Though the capital’s cinemas may screen to empty audiences, there is demand for film screenings outside of the capital. The CCF runs an annual event called La Route du Cinema, where mainly French films dubbed in Khmer are screened in open-air tents to provincial audiences. “For many this is the only possibility to access something different like this,” Alain says. He describes the screenings as “very, very popular” with a festive atmosphere resembling a village fair.

Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre also organises film screenings outside the capital. Established by one of Cambodia’s most famous contemporary filmmakers Rithy Panh, the centre’s aim is to create an audiovisual history of Cambodia. Archive Manager Gaetan Crespel says its screenings usually attract hundreds. “It’s not just for entertainment,” Gaetan says. “Sometimes it’s possible to present old movies or pictures from a particular province in that particular province,” he says. Old footage allows people to reconnect with the past, according to him.

Raising the Bar

Despite his pessimism over the state of the current Cambodian film industry, Matthew is not ready to give up. KMF has so far produced two feature films, Staying Single When in 2007, and more recently Vanished, a thriller that came out earlier this year. “We lost a bucket load of money on Staying Single When,” he admits. “But it was very positive in the sense that it was our calling card, we’d arrived on the scene.”

Following the financial hit, KMF successfully diversified into TV productions, commercials and work with NGOs to stay profitable. He financed Vanished out of his own pocket. “Why did I do it? Because I enjoy making movies,” he says. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do as well as TV programmes. Second, I thought I’d learnt some lessons from the first one...”

Thriller Vanished was released to great reviews, including one in U.S. lifestyle magazine Variety, which called the film “of international standard”. Audiences flocked to Sorya cinema to see the film, though the untimely arrival of heavy rains put an end to the run.

Ultimately, Vanished too proved financially unviable. Yet Matthew is content to have so far recuperated almost half the costs of making the film, which had a budget of just over US$40,000. Both Staying Single When and Vanished show that given a skilled crew and decent storyline it is possible to make quality films in Cambodia. The problem is their commercial viability.

Matthew says he will have one more shot. “I’m going to make a film again in a year’s time,” he says. “On the basis that if you can’t beat them, join them, we are going to make a well-made ghost movie. If it doesn’t work after that I’m going to give up.”

Others set their sights lower. Over the past six months Davy Chou has run workshops for Cambodian youngsters interested in filmmaking. The result was Twin Diamonds. Each sequence was written and directed by a different group from the various schools and organisations involved in the project. Its first public screening at Cinema Lux in early October had the venue packed to the rim.

Another initiative is CamboFest, to be held in Kampot this December. Now in its third year, the independent film festival, features short films, videos and animations from around the world. Though last year’s festival screened only a handful of Cambodian films, it offers an opportunity for local film buffs to experience something different. The festival also has a wider impact. Recently, Cambodian-French documentary L’Importante C’est De Rester Vivant, became the first Cambodian film to be nominated for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. It was submitted by CamboFest.

Learning by Doing

Most Cambodians involved in film have learnt their trade on the job. The way they can improve their skills is by training with foreigners, according to Cedric Eloy, CEO of the Cambodia Film Commission (CFC).  “The idea [behind the CFC] is to work first on hosting foreign productions in the country, and through a complementary training programme recreate local know-how of making quality films,” he says. “Indirectly, it will have impact on the national production.”

By acting as a gateway for foreign industry professionals, the CFC hopes to attract more and more foreign productions to film in Cambodia, with the expectation that at least some of the film crew will be hired locally. Established in July, the CFC has so far hosted one German feature film, Same Same, But Different, which will be released in December.

“Initially, the film was going to use a German, Thai, and Khmer crew,” says Sovichea Cheap, director of the CFC. However, following discussions with the CFC the producers decided to go with a mixed German-Khmer crew. “We convinced them they could get all they needed in Cambodia.”

The film industry at the moment is very production cost driven, which gives Cambodia a distinct advantage as a shooting location, according to Cedric. “Low cost is our main draw,” he says. Documentaries, as well as TV-shows such as The Amazing Race, are increasingly looking to Cambodia as an untouched location.

Back to the Future?

Cedric recognises that improved technical knowledge is only a part of what the ailing local film industry needs. “We are thinking of a few initiatives to help writers develop, but it’s not our main focus,” he says.  Matthew considers the lack of creative ideas as one of the main problems in the sector. “They talk about giving filmmakers an opportunity,” he says. “But what nobody does is to explain that it’s about ideas. It’s not about having a camera and making a film, it’s about what story you want to tell.” For now, he thinks the future is in TV. Training Cambodian film professionals can only be seen as a long-term objective. “I would train them for what there is a demand for – low-cost entertainment shows and dramas,” he says. “I have a great team who can do TV drama extremely well.”

Alain believes the first step to creating a cinema industry is to have real cinemas. “That’s why we do screenings at Wat Botum, organise La Route du Cinema, and have the cinema here,” he says. “Then people can start having knowledge about cinema, images, what a story is and so on.”

Given time, it might even be possible to get the Golden Era back. “Cambodian youth is very interested in filmmaking,” says Nico. Like Alain, he notes that watching films is key. “For me what is essential to become a filmmaker is not to read manuals of cameras or clever books or even go to a class at university, but to watch films.”

Did you know..?

These films were partly or entirely shot in Cambodia: City of Ghosts, Two Brothers, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Holy Lola, In The Mood For Love, Monsoon Wife, L’Empire du Tigre, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button  

Cinemas in Phnom Penh

The Flicks
39 Street 95
Weekly changing programme includes both contemporary and older films to suit all tastes. A 4.5m screen and optional popcorn complete the movie experience.

CCF
218 Street 184
Mainly screens French-language films, generally on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Films dubbed into Khmer on Saturdays at 5pm. Also shows films with English sub-titles. Schedule available on www.ccf-cambdoge.org  

Sorya
5th floor of Sorya Mall
Several screenings daily, mainly of ghost movies popular amongst Khmer youth. Tickets cost 8,000 riel

Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre
64 Street 200
Regularly screens films about Cambodia. The public archives also allow visitors to watch films directly from the computers. Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, Saturdays 2pm to 6pm.

Meta House
6 Street 263
The capital’s premier documentary film house. Artistic, political and thought-provoking screenings daily from 7pm (closed Mondays). Schedule available on the AsiaLIFE website.

Cinema Lux
44 Norodom Boulevard
Four screenings daily of generally poor quality local and regional films. Occasional events in cooperation with NGOs or government bodies. Tickets cost 5,000 riel.

Chenla Theatre
Croner of Monireth and Mao Tse Tung Blvds
Occasional screenings for large audiences.

Annam Restaurant  
1c Street 282
Bollywood films to go with your Indian dinner Wednesdays at 7pm

The Chinese House
45 Sisowath Quay
Regular Wednesday screenings at 7.15pm

Top 5 Khmer films from the Golden Era
By Davy Chou
1.    Joy of Living (1968), by King Norodom Sihanouk
2.    The Time for Tears (1972), by Uong Khan Thuok
3.    12 Sisters (1968), by Ly Bun Yim
4.    The Snake Man (1970), Tea Lim Koun
5.    10,000 Regrets (1970), Uong Khan Tuok