PHNOM PENH: Over the weekend, Institut Francais du Cambodge celebrated its 30th anniversary in Cambodia. Throughout the years, IFC has given many scholarships to students in need to study at the center as well as abroad in France. IFC has become a staple in Cambodia and is well known among locals and foreigners.

The EAC News team attended part of the 30th anniversary celebrations to commemorate this milestone.

Over the weekend, Institut Francais du Cambodge invited everyone to walk through the gallery where the three winners from the comic contest have exhibited alongside the “Cases Départ” exhibition until 21 May 2022.

On Friday, the dancers of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia performed a blessing dance before proceeding to a performance of Preah Thong Neang Neak. The first dance went smoothly while the second dance was met with pouring rain; however, despite the cold showers, the performers soldiered on and so did the audience.

Sam Savin, one of the performers, said, “When we saw that the rain was pouring hard but the audience still stayed seated, they excited and energized us, the performers.”

New Cambodian Artists, a contemporary dance company, premiered their performance of “Cinderalla, Not a Fairytale.” The dancing duo, Ny & Khun, recently won second prize in an International Theatre competition in Milan, Italy, for their first work, “Snow White, Not a Fairytale.” Khun said that growing up learning traditional dance and then getting exposed to new things made her interested in trying out contemporary dance, by mixing both traditional and modern dance styles. Sreyneang Khon, the duo’s manager, added that she is in talks with IFC on inviting a French choreographer to work with the duo and hopefully generate more opportunities to showcase their talents internationally. She also added that they like to use their performances to raise awareness on different social issues.

“In our performances, we like to raise awareness of society’s expectations on women. Women’s duties and pressure as well as human trafficking as seen with the suitcases [used in our performance]. We hope to show the audience the problems that women face and hope to generate a discussion on gender equality,” she said.

Kounila Keo, a festivalgoer, said she really appreciates IFC for bringing many local and international artists from different fields together, so that many people like herself can enjoy the showcase of different art.

She said, “I thought that the performance by Ny & Khun was really beautiful and thought-provoking. As a woman, when I saw the performance, I got goosebumps because the show highlighted the plight [of a woman], you know, obstacles of a woman’s life. I thought it was really, really, intelligent…I hope that a lot of the women and men could get a chance to see the performance as well.”

The final performances of the night were by KlapYaHandz artists, who always knew how to throw down a good party. As soon as they took the stage, the people, young and old, joined in on the fun with singing and dancing.

The rest of the weekend was filled with notable performances, such as the Phare Ponleu Selpak circus; the modern theater “Le Noir du Jour” by An Pagna; a Chapei music concert featuring Kong Nai, Shadow Puppet theater with the Kok Thlok association; a performance by the dancers of the Princess Bopha Devi Dance School; and a dance performance by Hun Pen. There were also screenings of animated movies, an Environmental Friendly Fair, a drawing workshop, a round table discussion on “Le Sourire Khmer,” and an award ceremony for the winners of the comic strip competition.

Valentin Rodrigues, the Deputy Director and Cultural Attaché of IFC, said he is proud of all the teachers and distinguished guests who have taught and shared their expertise at IFC. He added that the center welcomes all to its various events and its media library of rich resources, made up of over 30,000 books in French and Khmer. IFC has many things planned for each month for the rest of the year to mark this 30-year anniversary milestone, including inviting a perfume expert from France to come and visit Cambodia and create a signature Cambodian perfume, plus many more exhibitions.

He said, “For the past 30 years, IFC has become a central point where culture and education meet. IFC will continue to elevate cultural exchange between the two countries with many more special events in various fields.”

Borin Kor, Head of the Cultural Department of IFC, added “IFC is like a house of culture, education, and relationships. IFC always creates opportunities for local artists. For example, the artist Sopheap Pich. He came through IFC before he became famous internationally. Now, you cannot buy his art pieces for less than $10,000 dollars. IFC does not want anything back from him. We’re just very proud of him and other Khmer artists on the international stage. It is an honor for Cambodia as well as an honor for IFC to be able to push them forward.”

Serei Vankosaun, a performer from the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, said that she really appreciates IFC. She said she has come to perform here many times as well as to watch other performers show their talents. KlapYaHandz artist, Vin Vitou, concurred and said that he is always excited to perform at IFC because everyone seems to know them and shows a lot of energy during their performances.

He said, “After the pressure of Covid-19 on [all performing artists and the general public], I am so excited to be able to share the joy of performance and put a smile on people’s faces again.”

IFC is located at 218 Keo Chea St 184 and is open from Monday to Saturday starting from 9 AM. Check out their website, institutfrancais-cambodge.com for more information on their upcoming events.