PHNOM PENH: The Chaktomuk Short Film Festival (CSFF) conducted a press conference at the Cambodia Film Commission (CFC) ahead of the festival’s opening day. The event was well-attended by the media, along with special guests such as Ms. Sokhom Sophanith, Deputy Director of the Department of Cinema and Cultural Diffusion, Mr. Cheap Sovichea, Director of CFC, Mr. Sum Sithen, Director of the Chaktomuk Short Film Festival, and the selected filmmakers for this year, among other distinguished guests.
The purpose of the press conference was to deliver comprehensive updates on the festival's vision and film screenings, with the aim of attracting a large audience, both among Cambodians and foreigners, to watch the short films.
It's worth noting that the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, along with the Department of Cinema and Cultural Diffusion, has consistently endorsed and backed the CSFF's organization over the years.
Sokhom Sophanith, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts representative, expressed, "We deeply recognize that this festival plays a crucial role in providing opportunities for Cambodian youth to engage further with the film community. It also serves as a platform for filmmakers to demonstrate their passion in creating high-quality works, thereby fostering the development of the film industry."
CSFF Director Sum Sithen outlined the five special features of this year's festival, which include. balanced local films, more prizes, technical workshops, special opening short films, and expanded community partnerships.
The festival received a total of 175 short film submissions this year, but only 48 made it to the curated selection for this year's festival.
“We are all about short films, so that includes, short fiction, short documentaries, music videos, or animation. So by short we mean any film that runs thirty minutes or shorter that is called short film for us and that is the first selection of our criteria,” he said. We highlight the first time filmmaker and also promote the experience film maker for their exposure and international festival or partners.”
Mr. Sithen went on to explain the criteria for submitting a film to the festival.
“Anyone can [submit] a short film to our festival as long as they meet with some criteria like length of thirty minutes or less,” he said. “If they apply for the Cambodian category they need to be a Cambodian national. Otherwise international filmmakers can freely submit their short films to us.”
CSFF Manager Ruth Sansitny said he wanted to bring programming that is not only quality, but stimulating to local audiences through themes that spoke to the issues faced in modern-day Cambodia, so that cinema can be used as a tool to understand society and move forward. “In terms of what we express artistically, its grassroots, its home-grown. It’s about what the local film makers feel and what they want to express,” he said.
Ruth went on to explain the difference between real filmmaking and AI and quoted one of his favorite filmmakers Andrei Tarkovsky, who said “with art the mistakes you make are what makes the film more perfect and more honest given that they are honest mistakes.“
“I do really believe in this human capacity to create something that's special, that touches other human beings, he said. “One of my favorite filmmakers, Andrei Tarkovsky, is a Russian filmmaker, he worked predominantly in the seventies. He said that actually with art the mistakes you make are what makes the film more perfect and more honest given that they are honest mistakes. And I think this something that really AI will not be able to understand how to make the imperfection of human beings and put that into an art work.”
The festival will be officially held from October 27th to 30th, for four days, including opening and closing days. If you wish to watch new local and international short films, you are encouraged to come and support young filmmakers. All the screenings and events will be conducted in person at Legend Cinema - Olympia Mall, K-Mall, SenSok Mega Mall, Major Cineplex - Sorya and Cine Hub.
