PHNOM PENH: The second night of the 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) provided guests with several opportunities to broaden their cultural understanding with indigenous perspectives from around the world.
At the Legend Cinema in Olympia Mall, audience members attended a screening of the 1977 Australian classic “The Last Wave” directed by Peter Weir. The film follows a lawyer trying to solve a murder, but intertwines Australian Aboriginal mythos and dreamtime to produce the first film that features traditional Aboriginal culture within a city as opposed to the stereotypical outback settings.
Audience member Sabina was impressed by the film, saying, “It was really interesting. Like, you got to see the first Australian film that brought Aboriginal actors into the city, not just the tribal stuff. It was very mysterious, very strange, hard to understand, but the cinematography was amazing. Peter Weir’s a genius. Yeah, it was great.”
Australian Ambassador Justin Whyatt made opening remarks at the screening and noted the timeliness of the event, which takes place during Australia’s National Reconciliation Week, during which he said, “We reflect on the struggle for indigenous rights and justice, the leaders who have taken that forward, and the steps that still need to be taken-the unfinished business we have of reconciliation in Australia.”
Across town at the Bophana Center that same evening, indigenous Cambodian film students were exhibiting their latest work for "The Arts of Visibility and Positive Social Change" project, co-sponsored by the Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Organization. The project provides scholarships to 24 young people from different Indigenous communities in Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces who are trained in everything from pre-production research to graphic design and curating exhibitions. The project is in line with what film critic Richard Kuipers details is an important moment in Cambodia’s development on the international stage. “The cultural economy is just as important as your mineral exports or anything else that you send to the rest of the world and what’s happening with Cambodian cinema is, it’s telling the world about this country in ways that haven’t been possible before,” he said.
A photo exhibition debuted last night detailing the process of producing the trainees’ films and their efforts to build Indigenous archives. The photos are a fascinating collection that documents things like Indigenous basket weaving and fishing techniques, freshwater collection and the disparity of clothing between the young and old in the provinces. Guests at the event were treated to Indigenous cuisine prepared by the students in addition to a screening of the short film “Light in the Darkness” which follows a day in the life of a blind Indigenous masseuse in the Ratanikiri province. The project produced 31 films covering Cambodian Indigenous life, which will be screened at CIFF this week. The exhibition of will run at the Bophana until June 30.
Richard Kuipers is a guest programmer for this year’s CIFF and remarked on the co-evolution of the festival and the Cambodian film industry. “When this festival started there wasn’t much of a film industry in Cambodia. Twelve years later, we have a huge rise in production in Cambodia, we have a huge rise in interest in Cambodian cinema all over the world,” he said, “The two go hand in hand. This festival and Cambodian cinema are intricately linked and it’s a fantastic thing.”
The 12th Cambodia International Film Festival continues until Sunday, where film fans have access to over 160 events and screening free of charge. Tonight, the festival features Fright Night at Legend Eden where audiences can get cozy and watch a series of international horror films from 6pm to 4am. The festival’s schedule can be found on the CIFF Facebook page.
