...as seen through the eyes of an expat
http://southeastasiancinema.wordpress.com/

Why must we look more into the past than the future?

What does "Golden Reawakening" really serve? If we invest more and more money into just bringing the 60s and 70s movies into the cinema, then I'll suggest something else.

For me, "Golden Reawakening" shall be done by training new directors, actors, screen writers, even cameraman etc. into a more proficient one because Cambodia DOES NOT have one at the moment. I agree with the blog, cos in the end, the ones who attended the event are "old lady with traditional cloth." Then what happen when these people are "gone?" We need new movies for new people, not a 60s for the people of the 21st century. That is totally wasteful engagement by the heart of Khmer people.

Now if we don't want to look into the Hollywood industry, then look at Korean. I believe that 10 years ago, no one really care or know anything about them. But at the moment they are booming and competing with the Japanese and Chinese (but not definitely with the Hollywood, lols).

Let be specific and future-based, not unrealistic and past-based.

I believe retrospective film festivals give the people a sense of pride in their pop culture and makes them look forward to new movies from the contemporary film industry.
In a way, retrospectives are like a history of pop culture. People can go along and see how their pop culture developed. After the Khmer Rouge wiped out much of the local pop culture, it is wonderful that the victims of that upheaval can reconnect to their old pop culture of cinema, music and fashion, via retrospectives such as this. It strengthens the community, raises awareness of "lost" Khmer Cinema and makes people hungry for more new films by Cambodian film makers.

Yes Ralf, it is true that Retrospective movies are to "lift" up the pride of our own culture. What I'm saying here is that, people have been doing this so-called "Reawakening" or "Bringing back the old days" for many years, and in actual reality, the filming industry is declining again.

I remember the industry started fueling the operations right after the Thai Embassy Incident in 2003, which allows local film and drama maker to try their business. We experienced growth in the numbers of movies and actors/actresses between 2004 and 2007. There were really many activities, and there were huge numbers of filming companies and cinemas. But like I said, all they did was bringing something really old to new people. They made film based on the old time (referring to those before the Khmer Rouge) concepts and techniques. And they FORGET one thing... in Cambodia, people DO have access to higher quality movies (and not to mention Hollywood's). They were thinking that, as long as it is labeled as "Cambodian" or "Khmer" films, it would be a successful project.

THEY WERE WRONG, now look at the mess they made.

If they really want to "revive" the industry, the only way is to invest money into education and training programs, more than just spending money to set up an event to show retrospective films many many times with no actual result.

I sure did write and post an article expressing my view over the Cambodian movie industry long ago here, don't know if I should write another one.

If you wrote something significant, like an essay or something to boost the film industry, then repost it here or provide a link.
BTW Are there any progressive Cambodian film makers, like what we have in Malaysia and Indonesia - eg Yasmin Ahmad, Riri Riza, Mira Lesmana, Sammaria Simanjuntak, Nia Dinata.
What are the names of prominent Cambodian film makers ?

Well! The only prominent was Fei Sam Ang and the Hang Meas company. There are several more, I'm sure, but most of them rise in 2004 and ended in 2007, just like I said before. Right now, most of the project focus on promoting TV drama more than filming which is lame because a drama would not generate much fund for developing the area.

It was my essay, a researched one. But the one I posted is the 1st draft, however, I never done the 2nd one.

Well, as the old saying goes: Those who forget their past are doomed to repeat it.

These old films worked, they apparently spoke to the people of Cambodia in a way that newer films have failed to do. So maybe there is something to be learned from them after all.

I think any healthy film culture is aware of its history, and only then can you choose to continue in that vein, or do something else. If you look to Thailand, there was a similar nostalgia that started the Thai new wave, with films such as "Tears of the Black Tiger" that were successful internationally. And as for Korea, the successful directors right now are often cineasts very familiar with their own film history.

Technical profiency was also instrumental both in Thailand and Korea, and in both countries some of the most successful film makers were trained abroad. But without a good understanding of ones own history, I dont think you can move forward. Otherwise you end up with films that are like the new buildings in Phnom Penh: faceless, devoid of traditon or beauty...

Please post the essay any way. And check the latest entry:
http://southeastasiancinema.wordpress.com/...cambodia-rocks/
and see Dy Saveth dancing her behind off in blissful ignorance of the pointlessness of attempting to revive old Khmer cinema...

Hi Tilmazio

I know that forgetting the past is also not wise and ideal. However, if one ALWAYS dwell in the past and never try to CREATE a future for themselves, than no matter how well the history they know, its just a knowledge for fun, not for flourishing. And if what you say was right, at the moment we will have a quite promising increasing trend of filming because during the last few years, most companies are formed by the former filmmaker during the era before the Black Age. Right now, we have LOST the initiative.

Anyway, I'm not trying to discourage people to continue in this industry, but if we really want to "Golden Re-awake" or "Revive" then we must set our goal more specific and realistic, do more researches and studies, prepare and more preparation.

I'll post the essay...

It seems to me that some Southeast Asian countries have a commercially viable cinema-going audience, but they tend to neglect homegrown productions in favour of slicker Chinese, Korean, Japanese and in particular Hollywood movies.
The entertainment factor of accomplished Hollywood movies can not be denied, but it would be great if the Cambodian film industry could harness the revival of past successes and launch into some new and high quality productions.
A high quality film does not require a zillion dollar budget. What a film requires in order to be high quality is good story-telling ability.
Good story-telling is the ability of the film to convey ideas in a sophisticated but clear manner to the viewer. Both fictional narratives and documentaries need this ability.
Perhaps aspiring Cambodian film makers could start by putting their efforts into writing a really good screenplay.
A film that has a compelling story will bring the local audiences back to Khmer Cinema.



Looks like the sort of party where John Pirozzi and Dengue Fever would hang out.
I have got John Pirozzi's DVD of Sleepwalking Through the Mekong, about Dengue Fever's tour of Cambodia, but I am really keen to see his long awaited documentary on Cambodia's lost rock'n'roll.
BTW thanks for joining AF. I got a feeling you are just the sort of new member we need.

Ralf, thanks for the kind words.

As for the Cambodian film makers, many of those from the pre-Khmer Rouge period had films in the retrospective mentioned.

The only film maker that has an audience in the international art house market today, kind of like the directors from Indonesia and Malaysia that you mention, is Rithy Pan, whose "Rice people" won in Cannes in the 1990s. He seems to live in France, but all his films, both documentaries and feature films, are shot in Cambodia.

As for contemporary local cinema, both the technical standards and the understanding of story-telling are unfortunately rather poor. I can see how Cambodians are disappointed with what they are offering. And right now, the local film industry is in a state of decline. There are only twp cinemas left in Phnom Penh, piracy is a problem, people prefer better-made films from abroad, not just Hollywood, but also China and Thailand...

That is what I should agree with.

MY VIEW ON CAMBODIAN FILM INDUSTRY

When you are speaking about Cambodian film industry, there are numerous topics -and subtopics- to discuss about this. Cambodia used to have one huge film industry, had its influenced over the nearby neighbor countries such as Thailand, and was about to become one of the biggest film industry of the continent assuming that there was no interception from long and continually civil war from the 1970s and 1980s. After this black period, Cambodian film industry development, or preferred “7th Art” (Cambodian language), has been ceased and nearly fully disappear. In present day, it is recognized as the return of this “7th Art” and is expected to make surprising inspirations for its audiences who have been waiting for almost 20 years. But some say it will not, as for the term of quality and trend, because they believe the film-maker produce them without any elemental features as well as quality. Why would they say so? Why are there such things to discuss about Cambodian film industry? Why there are many comments on this 7th Art, both negative and positive?

This essay will looks deep into every fields of Cambodian movies production such as the history, the quality and the process of making a movie. This essay will also present comments from selected people and from my own point of views.


I. An brief introduction to film
What is film?

Film is a motion picture, a result of the projection of many captured images on the role of film, to create an illusion of motion. Film, also known as movies or sometimes cinema, is one form of entertainment or one of the latest inventions for entertainment. Film can be for excitement, education, documentary display and sometimes for instruction. There are kinds of film and they are feature films, animated films, documentaries, experimental films, industrial films, and educational films etc. The movies which are presented in the theatre are feature films.

II. History of Cambodian film industry
1. Before 1979
Noticeably, after regaining freedom from French colonies in 1953, King Norodom Sihanouk has led Cambodia into a new era. Development in all areas were introduced and started, and Cambodia began its own industry section with full of confidence. One of the many industries, film industry was one of the main thing the head of state care of, because, even King Norodom Shihanouk, leader of Cambodia at that time, also one good movie producer, director and actor. Thus, this field of entertainment is widely and strongly enjoyed by its people and also rumbling the region. Thai people for example, love watching Cambodian movies and films at that time, like the way Cambodia people like to watch Thai movies and films lately.
When war first came in 1960s and 1970s, Cambodia society is slowly and gradually damaged and people are highly affected by the great effects of civil wars. At the time when Cambodia fell into the hand of Khmer Rouge, that also the time when the 7th Art temporarily vanished with no sign of salvation.
Followed by the 7th January 1979, the film industry was not eventually regain its previous strength and stayed silent for another short period. Cambodian society re-develops from an empty hand, so does this industry. After peace is partly restored and the order in the society is controlled, film business re-starts its account. Little were produced at that moment, until the release of “Kon Pos-Ken-Kong (Child of the great snake)” in 2000, the movie in which Khmer stars acted with Thai star, became the first ever acknowledgeable 36mm-film made after Khmer Rouge regime. It was quite success, since it was brought to Thailand and other countries, and later, the 7th Art revive itself from the deep of people hearts who were looking forward for another bright moment for its industry. But our movies were overshadowed by our neighbor, Thailand. Around that moment, most Khmer channel only present Thai movies, dramas, and films. Not many Khmer’s 7th Art were introduced to those channel.

2 Recent development of Cambodian film industry (after 1979)
In 2003, a significant tragedy happened, marked a full return of Khmer film industry. In January of that year, there were outrageous protestors expressed their anger to one Thai famous film star and led to a cruel attack and burn-down of Thai embassy in Phnom Penh. After this event, every channels of Cambodian official broadcasting system stop showing Thai movies. In replacement, those channels start viewing old (1960’s and 1990’s) Khmer dramas as well as movies on television, and also include newly made series.
Year 2004, the year experiences the booming of Khmer movies in the market place, as well as the re-establishment of some major theatres in Phnom Penh city. Many movies were produced and people spent their time and money for them. One famous masterpiece is the movie “The mother’s heart” by Lady Poun Phoung Bopha, the movies which rocks the city with its meaningful aspect of the mother who always care and take care of her 5 children well-being. She is now the series producer of CTN, she always make movies for the channel but also she makes some for other production. Fei SomAng’s “Tum Tev” (One all-time famous Khmer novel about a true love of a monk and a beautiful young lady) maybe the best movies of the year because there were more than 200,000 audiences.
Year 2005, a greater year of the outburst of film production companies establishments. Many films were made and released into theatres in Phnom Penh. There were many noticeable masterpieces such as the HIV/AIDS education tv-dramas “the taste of life” (which describes about the life of some undergraduate medical students and the dangerous of HIV/AIDS in Cambodian society). Mao Ar-yuth’s “Crocodile Hunter” (“Nehsat Kroper”, starring by one famous Khmer singer Preap Sovath, about a life of a crocodile hunter), and “Moronak Meada” in English is “Died Mother” (But Moronak Meada is a name of a young girl, whose mother was a first wife to someone but her life was changed after he took a second wife). To appreciate these efforts and to support Cambodian film industry, there was an award for the best movies of the year and also for the actors and actress. The result is:
1. Goes to “Crocodile Hunter”
2. Goes to “Moronak Meada”
3. Goes to “Kata-nhu” (thankfulness)
People really enjoyed this year of film and filming.

Year 2006, there were slightly less produced films than last year. In contrast, there were many accusations and allegations over some creation of the contraversial movies. The movies “Human or Ghost” acted by Vang Sreyno who famous of her sexiness, was accused of over-sexual scenes and naked picture. But the problem was solved right after the second-release. What is more, there are more produced films came out to the theatres and some of them are success such as Fei Som Ang’s “Mon(t) Meayea”. There were some accusations over the making of the movie “Choa Phos Keng Kong (Grandchild of the Great Snake)” which is not welcomed by most intellectual people as they claimed this as a “rude” re-modification of the previous production “The great snake(1960’s)”. They said this movies show disrespect to the previous movies because of its title.
For the year 2007, however, the film producing speed was lower than those previous years. But each movie has more quality in terms of performance and picture. The first movie to be introduced to the cinema is “Neang Macha” (The Mermaid). At this moment, no any significant information about the release of new movies has been published but people really looking forward for them.

III. Current quality
1. Overall
By the Cambodian standard, there have been considerable improvements, but by the international standard, still have many to learn. Some professional film critics acknowledge the improvements of Cambodian film industry but warn of the beginner’s luck. They pointed out that it is an early success so the producer must learn more about the industry and how to further develop its standard. By 2007, Cambodian filmmakers have made numerous products of this kind of entertainments, but not so many were successful due to its low quality. One of the main factors is the picture (graphic), some does not look like a film but a video recording tape. Real movie requires the 35mm film which will provides quality picture for the products. Sound quality is the important feature for movie, yet it is still below expectation. The inclusion of voice-acting procedure (dubbing voice) is traditional for Khmer movies, but this procedure is one-step backward for the overall quality. Only Cambodian film industry has the voice-acting procedure, which is to replace the real voice of the actor by the better voice of others.

2. Story Line
Cambodian movie producer mostly make movies based on the fairy tale stories or old Khmer folks stories. They tend to copy the whole pattern and theme of the story and slight changes have added to modernize (in term of quality) the story. Such as the movie “Tonh Jay” (Bright-mind and intellectual man) is 100% resemble to the story in the student textbook. For new story line, there are some impressed written stories introduced to the audiences and got so many supports such as “Crocodile hunter” and “Mother’s heart”. The effort of the writer is so great that they continue to impress the people by creating new movies. For instance, after the release of the “Mother’s heart”, there were the similar stories from the same writer such as “Father’s heart”, “Teacher’s heart” etc… these new stories received such dignity and respect from the audience.
We can say the writers continue the tradition of writing story. As we have studied in high school, Khmer standard writing story criteria has four stages:
1. Beginning
2. Creating Problems
3. Intensify the problems
4. Solve the problems
For the first two criteria, the writers follow these correctly and do well in creativity. But for the last 2 steps, there have slight disappointments and frustrations. Some writers fail to intensify the story so hard that the story line becomes more boring. Just like every ghost movies, the ghost behaviour remains unchanged throughout the movies. The ghosts do not turn to be more dangerous or deadly, the ghosts actually becomes less danger and frighten. For example, the movies “Haunted mansion” by Campro, talks about a ghost who haunted in an abandon mansion, at the beginning, the ghost was really scary and always killed someone who stayed in that mansion in the night. But as the story draws near to the ending, the ghost sometimes allows people to leave the mansion save and sound without hurting them.

3. Duration of the producing phase
We can not always say that “The longer the better” for producing a film. Sometimes a film can be produced with a high quality within short timing. But, it is true that “The shorter the lower” for Cambodian movies’ quality. For the standard of producing a movie, 1-month or 2-month time will be a ridiculous one. How can a single movie produced in such a short time mentioned above? The standard one should be six months over (as the process of producing movie shall be taken seriously and carefully). That will ensure the spectators that the movies have been carefully supervised in each section and more times means more creativity. Thus, quality of the movie depends on the durations of producing it. The movie “Crocodile Hunter” came out as a success because it had been filmed for several months. It gained reputations throughout Cambodia and was brought to show in many other provinces and abroad as well. But for some 1-month time produced movies, they were not highly supported by people. The movies were made in rush, most parts are done with reckless exceptions and careless allowances. Apparently, the movies look like they have been finalized but in fact, many unchecked mistakes are still remains and included.

4. Features to the movie
Such as trailers, posters, promotion etc… all of these are getting annoying. For marketing, trailer (movie advertisement) is a key to attract audience, to lurk them to cinema. If your trailer is attractive (effective), the movies will have a good sale of cinema tickets. But, if not, the audience would not even bother visit the schedule. As notice, Cambodian’s movies trailer is not quite strong to convince their audience that they should come and see with their own eyes. They show parts of unnecessary scenes and throughout the trailer, the audience can not understand well what the movie “says”. The same things for poster and other things.


5. Characters/actors
Mostly actors in the movies are popular singer, model and people who do not really have a acceptable qualification for acting in movies. For instance, actress like Sok SreyNeang and Sok Pisey is not actually a natural actor, but they were invited to star in the movies separately. As a result, their movies are not well-supported because, even if they are two famous female singers (because of their voice and beauty), they are not the real actor. Thus, the characters problems also affect the overall quality of the film.

6. Other
Theme songs, Original Soundtrack, graphic design, special effects and artwork are still below standard. But they are showing improvements through more additional work and cooperation with the foreign specialist.
Recently, many productions shut down their company because of great loss of profit and unsuccessful filming. This can be converted to be a great evidence for this essay, even be a strong one. Only a few stand still, they are Hang Meas, Fei Sam Ang’s and some other more. Also, it is noticeable that, some NGO also organizing filming for promoting their goal projects such as PSI for AIDS (there are movies about AIDS). For instance, the group of people who produced “taste of life”, who once work for the PSI, now establish themselves as “Khmer Mekong Production”. They are introducing some kind of revolution on dubbing-voice criteria in Khmer films, and they have already successfully got their movies onto cinema.

IV. Words on the street on various issues
This essay includes comments from many forums of discussion. Remarkably, most people believes that it is just a matter of time when Cambodian film industry becomes one of the fascinating entertainment in the region. When asking about their opinions about current progress of this industry, one reply with an optimism that “it is better than nothing” (AEROFORCE1 from AsiaFinest Forum(henceforth a.k.a AF)). Yes, for Khmer people, even they acknowledge the low quality of the films, but people still want to watch the movies because they believe that if they continue supporting this industry, one day it will grows up. Sbeechan also insists that “they are trying.” Hopefully, their efforts come with great results.
People also defense the progress and stance of Khmer film industry, saying that the lacks of funds and facilities are the main reasons. Of course, considering Cambodia one of the developing country, we have little knowledge about worldwide standard of filming. Additionally, after the period of civil wars, people survived empty hands and most infra-structure was destroyed. We also were stepping backward. Thus, the quality of film is under-rated. Dorant points out that, the company lacks modern equipment and facility and there is not many institution for acting and filming in Cambodia, so mostly, film-makers are not qualified but accepted by the producer. Raksmey of 5 steps forum give supportive comments that for Khmer company, the average spending of approximately $20,000 is reasonable for producing a movie. And considering this budget, they can not go further than expected.
One more important issue is the controversy of the similarity between Khmer and Thai movies and stories. For example, the Thai horror film “Neang Nat”, which talks about a girl who died while giving birth to her child, is also filmed by Cambodian company. Moreover, these two movies have things in common and both claims their rightful ownership of the real story. But no clear evidence show which is the one.

One the other side, AF members also show concerns on Fei Sam Ang issues. Some members accuse that he is abusing Khmer culture, by making Khmer film similar to Thai’s, in costume, in acting behavior and other areas. SuperKhmer (AF member) says that for his (Fei Sam Ang) standard, it is not suited for Cambodian female people and consider this as offensive. And some members even say he is showing male nudity. These seemingly are harsh words but implying culture awareness, reasonable for officials or authorities to re-estimate his filming protocol.

On the issue of story-line and voice dubbing (or voice acting), there are many contrasting point of views. Some people believe that, by Khmer standard, the voice acting procedure is acceptable. But members of 5 steps forums oppose this by insisting that both the voice acting and story line result in no emotional feeling toward the movies. Raksmey says that in Hollywood, actors do not have good voice, but they still use their natural one for the movies and the quality of the film is still world class. Rachada blames that most of the actors/actress are models or freshie, she told not to expect too much from them, since they do not have professional acting background.

Last of all, there is also an accusation of plagiarism. Some movies are the copy from foreign films (mostly Thai’s and Chinese’s). To reinforce this, Kimlong says that “ The authors just bring those movies from abroad and then translate it to Khmer language, even the film styles or activities are exactly the same.” And most AF members convince that Fei Sam Ang is the prime reason of today’s copycat-like filming society of Cambodia movie industry. Lemongrass suggests that he is just a copy cat.

In conclusion, we are building up to nothing at the moment. Many filming companies in Cambodia announced bankruptcy due to lacks of support and severe loss in every movie production they managed. Consequently, the competition only remains for a bigger companies, which can bring quality movies for the people. In 2007, some cinemas also halted their business as a result of decreasing number of movies for screening and tickets sold. Thus, it is cleared that the film industry is facing another drop and if there is not such firm measure taken place to aid the situation, we will encounter another period of silence. As for notice, and for acknowledgement, WE DO NOT WANT OUR FILM INDUSTRY TO FALL. Please, re-consider every possible options to change to flow of film competition in Cambodia.


Charlie Samsokrith, a.k.a Denith

Thanks for your effort Nikkie_nid
I'm going to read this a couple of times, to get as much information out of it as possible.

This actually surprises me, because I had thought that the situation was more along the lines of many cinemas, but only screening foreign films.
tilmazio also pointed out that there are now only two cinemas in Phnom Penh.
Does this mean that Cambodian people no longer have a "cinema culture" ?
It would appear that Cambodians are simply not going out to the cinemas anymore.
Do they have other priorities ?
Is poverty preventing people from going out to the cinemas ?
Do they access movies in other ways ? eg DVD, free to air TV broadcasts, internet ?
If piracy is a factor, does this mean that people prefer to stay at home and download movies or copy DVDs ?

Really this is all new to me.
I know some of the key factors in the Indonesian film industry, but about Cambodia's film industry I know nothing.

That is the fact Ralf, and yeah "Cinema Culture" here is fading because the organizers don't produce any impressions or excitements, as well as raising people's awareness of the importance and benefits of going to Cinema rather than buying a VCD.

I don't think poverty is the main factor, but it do plays it part. Come to think of this, would you willing to pay for something which you think "did not live up to your expectation?" Here could be the story, they came to the cinema hoping to see the movie of their dream, or at least their expectation, but the film shown up to be of other's interest and motivation. And then it happens again. And again. People have limited money to spend would re-consider their possibilities of coming here afterward.

Well! It is so true that there are many access now, DVDs, TV... not to mention the Internet (but not many people have access or required speed for the viewing). However, I do believe that sometimes people still want to see the movie at cinema, because they might not have adequate equipments and technology to view the movie to its fullest. I do sometimes got invited by friends to go to cinema, which are always declined.

That is why I said, if I have money, I will produce, invent and spread, rather than review, relive and reanimate.

So we need an altruistic film maker or investor with a vision for progress.

Anybody else want to join the discussion ?

^^

me



I think the legend or myth of Nang Nak is found in both Thai and Khmer culture. In Thailand we have many Thai horror that have connection to Khmer culture, black magic and such stuff. They can identify with these. Moreover the quality of movies etc. are on international standard so that might be the reason why the Thai entertainment industry is so popular there.

Personally I like watching horror with Khmer black magic. It freaks me out. It is very creepy. I hope Khmer people can produce such stuff one time. However, I think that Cambodia should get rid off poverty = Hun Sen first. Build roads, hospitals, schools, universities - public institutions that serve people needs. Movies can't feed millions of children appetite.

Yes, it would be foolish to spend the nation's budget on propping up a film industry at the expense of basic needs and infrastructure improvements.
However there are methods of stimulating the homegrown film industry without spending lots of money.

BTW I have seen the Thai film of the Nang Nak ghost story, directed by Nonzee Nimibutr, whose most recent film The Queens of Langkasuka will probably be picked up for Australian DVD release by Madman Entertainment soon.

I wrote a little bit about that here:

http://southeastasiancinema.wordpress.com/...cambodian-film/

There are only two cinemas left, one is the historic Art Deco Cine Lux

http://southeastasiancinema.wordpress.com/...i-ghost-comedy/

, the other one is the Soriya shopping mall, where they show mostly digital projections from DVDs. One exception recently was the movie "Vanished" that was done by a local production company by British expats. Apparently it did reasonably well.

The same is true (showing mostly DVDs) of the Lux,even though they seem to have he equipment for 35 and 16 mm.

You have to be adventurous to go these places, the audience is mostly teenagers that seem to be more interested in having a dark space with some privacy than in the movies presented there. But, yes, cinema culture is disappearing...

tilmazio thanks for the links to you website. I will read it later and respond.
First I want to say that I am quite astonished to discover that an Asian nation exists without a thriving cinema culture.
I had previously thought that all Asian countries had plenty of cinemas, perhaps rundown and basic, and showing mostly foreign films, but I never imagined that it would be a case of virtually no cinemas at all.
I am surprised because my experience with Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia, has made me think that all Asian countries must have plenty of cinemas.
I wonder if this lack of cinemas is also true of neighbouring nations, such as Thailand, Laos and Vietnam ?

tilmazio how did you find Asia Finest Forum ?
This is a question I ask most new members, just to let the administrator of our forum know what it is that attracts new members and makes our forum grow.



A question for our Cambodian members :
When was the last time you went to the cinema ?
What film did you see ?
What was the last DVD that you purchased ?

Oh PingLing, I know you want to join the discussion, but sometimes politics should not play its role here. But actually, it does. I just don't want to turn this thread into another gathering place of hatred comments. Please discuss in some other fields unrelated to politics. But remember this, I don't really have to power to stop you, so don't feel bad if you want to talk.

However, I'm gonna speak abit. The PM must see the development of the filming industry as one of the weapon for the overall developments of Cambodia because we can produce something unique from others. However, I have seen him sometimes gave his bad impressions to some commercial spots or some stage shows which undermined and discourage the future project.

After all, the ministries also must enforce more laws and budgets to help the situation because people alone are powerless in their own aspects.

I am just an ordinary person, but I am not powerless.
I work as a volunteer with some film festivals to promote Asian Cinema.
I lobby our distributors to release Asian films internationally in the cinemas and on DVD.
Ordinary people can make a difference.

Logically yes. But there are stories to be told here. Mainly about the politician having influences over the process of film making. That is why I feel a bit powerless about that.

Are you responsible for that?



Thailand has plenty of cinemas showing the latest Thai, Chinese and Hollywood movies. Some show Korean movies. As far as I know Laos lacks cinmeas. I don't know about Vietnam though.



No, I am not going to turn this thread in a plae of hatred comments. I felt that this is one of the few topics in AF that is nice to talk about. Seriously I don't like talking about politics, but in some cases you can't leave out politics. However, we can stop talking about it.

No I can't claim the credit by myself.
I am part of a volunteer organisation which promoted this film, as well as others, to Madman Entertainment.
This particular case was easy, because Madman have previously released other films by Nonzee Nimibutr.

Well! I just giving up precautions, because they are many many trolls waiting to take opportunity to inflict their so-called "logic" to your words, and transform it into political comments battle ground. It is nice to have you beware of the subject.

Anyway, right now, why don't we discuss about how "poverty" influence the development of Cambodian film industry?

I think particularly, when speaking of poverty, we will see the people as not well-educated, which mean people might not be receiving enough education to understand the true concepts of filming as well as production of the film. What is more, if we have less-educated people, then the industry will lacks of ideas and creativity, just like I mentioned... film-makers are making film based on old concepts and techniques. Thus, we need people to be ready for this.

Secondly, poverty cause people to very careful about spending, and when it comes to entertainment, they will go for pirated products for more economical advantages. The others could be that people might not be interesting in applying for the filming industry (I'm talking about producing staff, not acting staff) because the it could be tricky and unsecured. They may try other things which is more popular.

And Finally, I think poverty cause the presentation of the films center only around those related to the "environment." I mean, because a country is poor, it is too high to produce a war film etc. because the producer would want to try something educational to people about their living environment. Thus, the ideas are closed and the range is narrower.

I just hope to get more ideas.

OK I understand. Government taxes on Indonesia's film industry were a major obstacle to new film makers. Perhaps there are similar obstacles in Cambodia ?
In Australia there is no government tax on the film industry. In fact there are special incentives and funding bodies for the film industry. A developed country can afford such luxuries.
From what I gather, Cambodia has less infrastructure than Indonesia, so I imagine it will be a tough job for us to promote the Khmer film industry.
Perhaps we could build on the legacy of the great music industry which Cambodia has.


If the general population does not have spare cash for fancy cinemas, then we can't expect them to swallow our film industry idea, when all they really want is a decent standard of living.




However, tilmazio did mention the success of Bakluon (Vanished).
He also wrote about this film on his website, in the context of a new beginning for Cambodian film.
Here is the link to the article on his website : http://southeastasiancinema.wordpress.com/...lm/#comment-160
Here is the trailer of Vanished : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw4OgjqhScg
After you have read tilmazio's appraisal of Bakluon and watched the trailer, you can compare notes with Richard Kuipers' review in Variety :




From reading this I notice a few interesting points :
It is a contemporary film, without the usual cliches of supernatural horror or sentimental romance.
It is a low cost digital production, but technically competent and sophisticated enough to engage the viewer.
Breaking with the traditional old Asian way of dubbing sound in post production, the dialogue and much of the sound is recorded live for extra realism.
English subtitles are included and they are of a very high standard, which means it will be easy to distribute. (English is a commonly understood language throughout Asia)

This film proves that low-cost, high technical quality films are possible in Cambodia.
Going digital, instead of using film stock, presents a viable solution for aspiring Cambodian film makers.

Oh man... I forgot to mention the "REAL" film maker. The Khmer Mekong Team is the best one, they adapt to a new standard, and they have been producing great great films. Like "Stay Single When!" and "The Taste of Life" etc. I really like them.

Anyway, I didn't see the movies... so sad

Let's hope Khmer Mekong Films will produce a few more movies and get the cultural renaissance happening.




This is not actually a Cambodian film, but it is worth mentioning because co-productions could easily be a way to boost the local film industry.
This film was the first major American movie to be wholly filmed in Cambodia, since Richard Brooks made a film there in 1965.
It showcases Matt Dillon's fascination with gangster thrillers, tiki-noir and SE Asian exotica. Matt Dillon wrote, directed and starred in the film.
The cinematography by John Pirozzi captures the feel of a place that has been ravaged by old wars, and weary expats and lost souls wander the dark alleys.
Apart from showing the seedy gangster life, it also shows the resilient and good-natured spirit of this Buddhist society.
The story is about two conmen who run afoul of the Russian mafia, Cambodian gangsters and warlords.
Stylistically the characters move around in a kind of surreal, boozing, haze of lies deception and the ever present heat of Phnom Penh.
The soundtrack complements the mood of cinematography, and makes references to the various historical episodes of Cambodia, with some pre-WWII jazz and blues, some music from the French era, and some music from the heyday of Khmer rock'n'roll.
The first-time acting performances from the Cambodian cast are sincere and natural, with Sereyvuth Kem deserving a special mention. Gérard Depardieu, Matt Dillon, James Caan and Stellan Skarsgård all do a good job.
Not everyone was happy with the film though, as some Cambodian intellectuals accused the movie of dwelling too much on the seedy underbelly of Phnom Penh.

James Caan's karaoke rendition of "Bong Sorlang" is something to watch for.
The soundtrack CD of the film does not contain all the music featured in the film, but here is a list of what is included :
1."Both Sides Now" - written by Joni Mitchell; performed by Dengue Fever
2."Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi" - written by Jacques Dutronc and Jacques Lanzmann; performed by Jacques Dutronc
3."Wait Ten Months" - performed by Ros Sereysothea
4."Sak Kra Va" - performed by Chan Chaya
5."Do You Believe In Love At Sight" - performed by McKinney's Cotton Pickers
6."Hilo Hula" - performed by Mike Hanapi and the Llima Islanders
7."Have You Seen My Love" - performed by Ros Sereysothea
8."Parlez Moi D'amour" - performed Lucianne Boyer
9."I Want A Little Girl" - performed by McKinney's Cotton Pickers
10."Mou Pei Na" - performed by Sinn Sisamouth
11."Coining" - performed by Maes Samouen
12."Giant Woman" - performed by Pan Ron
13."Close Fit Blues" - performed by Clarence Williams
14."I'm Sixteen" - performed by Ros Sereysothea
15."Ne Te Fache Pas" - performed by Sinn Sisamouth
16."Love Pillow" - performed by Choun Malai
17."Dear 5" - performed by Peter Whitehead

The movie trailer is here on YouTube.

I think I have seen this one before... maybe so.