PHNOM PENH: The 12th Chaktomuk Short Film Festival (CSFF) has announced its 14 finalists after receiving hundreds of submissions this year. Film enthusiasts will be able to see the final entries during the festival held from October 27-30. The festival encourages the public to check out and support the young filmmakers, whose work will be screened at Legend Cinema - Olympia Mall, K-Mall, SenSok Mega Mall, Major Cineplex - Sorya and Cine Hub.

Six Cambodian films will compete in their own category with works by Sievphin Chong, Hemkiry Song, Mota Phom, Phat Chan hak, Ly Chee, Pilot Sok, and Sana Oungty. There are eight entries in the international competition from France, Switzerland, Colombia, Malaysia, Singapore, Egypt and China. Films that didn’t make the final cut will be showcased in other categories along with documentaries and a Travelog.

Eam Tith Seiha, CSFF’s Local Programmer, expressed his excitement for this year's film selection. "Cambodian content for the competition are really diverse and interesting to watch out for, this year. They also came with better production quality and storytelling techniques in local perspectives,” he said. “In addition, AMS's travel online show ‘Wanna Yeatra’ will be highlighted in a lighthearted tone. On top of that, other selected documentaries are based on the perspectives of students from Bophana Center and Department of Media and Communication. These feature interesting life experiences of the Cambodian people.”

CSFF International Programmer and Festival Manager, Sansitny Ruth, commented on the challenge of showcasing international films that will appeal to a local Cambodian audience. “This year, many of the international films explore the notions of “family” and “identity”, two topics I feel that are built into the foundation of our country, yet being challenged in various ways in this modern age,” he said.