(this is a simple cut and paste of the complete report which appears with photos at http://www.scribd.com/doc/75520840/CamboFest-Cambodia-Film-Festival-4th-Edition-Post-Festival-Report; a downloadable version can be obtained at http://www.amazon.com/CamboFest-Cambodia-Festival-Report-ebook/dp/B006LD3CKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324088218&sr=8-1 )
CamboFest,
Cambodia Film Festival 4.0 (4th Edition)
Post Festival Report
INTRODUCTION
CamboFest, Cambodia Film Festival (www.cambofest.com) is an international film festival in Cambodia established in 2550/2007
by Camerado (SE Asia).
CamboFest is Cambodia's first internationally recognized recurring film
festival, and is one of the only recurring international movie events in
Cambodia since the end of the Khmer Rouge regime.
The event is funded through a variety of private and public sector
sources, with fundraising utilizing a range of approaches, including:
grass-roots fundraising, crowdsourcing, institutional level grant applications,
and various forms of internal revenue generation.
CamboFest showcases international and local film and video makers in order
to help revive a bona fide cinema industry and movie culture in Cambodia, while
attempting to maintain an intrinsically entertaining event and media platform
that is capable of attracting local and international audiences.
The festival also serves to promote awareness of IP (Intellectual
Property) practices in the Cambodian media and motion picture sector by
securing public performance permissions for every movie screened from copyright
holders. Permissions specify the Cambodian territory, and not any 3rd
party sub distributor or territory as a ‘grey area’ workaround, for all screening
purposes. The goal is to establish Cambodia as a viable and recognized
exhibition location internationally.
This level of industry standard diligence, which is normal in developed
nations, but unusual in Cambodia,
has in the past elicited some backlash from some Cambodia-based
businesses founded upon the organized, unlicensed exhibition of movie content
as a core component of their operations.
Unlike other film festival efforts in Cambodia, CamboFest is an
independent, largely non-subsidized event and operates apart from any local or
international government or non-governmental agency. The event is therefore
largely free from donor agendas or interests, hence its independent or ‘indie’
sensibility.
The festival is designed primarily for entertainment and edutainment
(E-E) purposes, with a significant amount of educational, prosocial and
development oriented content programmed alongside entertainment-oriented international
and local movies.
Besides a range of social issue and educational videos, participating
films at CamboFest typically include: animation, drama, action, sci-fi, horror,
creative documentaries, a local Cambodian and Southeast Asian showcase, amongst
other genres.
Programming of CamboFest is eclectic and is designed to develop a local
filmmaking sensibility that may reasonably have high likelihood of evolving
into sustainable (non-subsidized) Cambodian film industry in the long term,
with key genres established to be more commercially saleable than others.
By way of example: Western/European art-house style cinema, though valid
forms in their home countries, do not observably engage popular local audiences
in a significant way in the Cambodian context and are therefore not (currently)
featured as prominently as some genre oriented titles.
In any case, to date, over 250 international filmmakers have
participated in CamboFest.
BACKGROUND
In its first two years, from 2007 through 2008, CamboFest was held at
various art spaces and open air venues in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia. A
dedicated, 'Youtube'-style online video portal was also utilized for the 2007
and 2008 editions as a supplemental online component.
This portal, called CamboTube, featured its own dedicated FFMPEG
conversion engines on its own servers, unlike other online channels that
utilize Youtube or other dependent video sharing devices as a host.
This online component was abandoned later, however, due to bandwidth and
user access (Digital Divide) limitations although some important design
elements from CamboTube have been incorporated into a design for a new
prosocial auto-replicating hardware platform in development by Camerado
SE Asia, called PILGRIM.
CamboFest’s 3rd Edition
The historically significant third (2009) edition of CamboFest took
place in the vintage Cambodian 'Royal' cinema hall, in Kampot, Cambodia, a
venue which had been unused since 1989.
Only a handful of older local Cambodians remembered of the 'Royal',
which had lain unused since 1989 when it was shut to public screenings as the
sustainability of the business became non-viable. This was in large part,
according to the then and current owner, due to the growing affordability of
the VCR in post conflict Cambodia which allowed for private viewing of titles
in the perceived safety and comfort of home.
Approvals for the 3rd edition of CamboFest were provided
through the authority of the Kampot Governor’s office, bypassing the need to
receive centralized Phnom Penh Ministry approval, so long as the event were
held in the jurisdiction of Kampot province.
Even so, with this component of Cambodia’s decentralization and
deconcentration reform working well on paper, there was some actual reluctance
from the relevant Cambodian government Ministry to relinquish its authority to
the provincial level. The approvals were finally gained, with all relevant stamped
paperwork available in an archived state.
Additional challenges emerged when foreigners residing in Cambodia,
including those affiliated with at least one non-diligent (aka, “pirate”) cinema
venue in Phnom Penh, reacted negatively to CamboFest’s pro-filmmaker activities
in the lead up to its 3rd edition at the ‘Royal’.
The foreign non-Cambodians subsequently attempted to thwart the 3rd
edition festival, Cambodia’s only film festival at the time, with a series of
hoax classified ads placed in the local press, and through phony press releases
sent locally and abroad*. (*for coverage of these
incidents, see http://cameradomoviesandmedia.blogspot.com/2010/01/cambofest-story-part-1.html)
Despite the interference by foreign elements and the reluctance of the
Cambodian centralized government to allow decentralized provincial level
approvals, the 3rd (2009) historically significant 'Royal' edition
of CamboFest was held as planned, from December 4–6, 2009.
A number of international filmmakers and others found the production
challenges experienced by the event to be notable, insofar as they highlighted
some of the obstacles that a pioneering cinema effort like CamboFest may face:
"His
Majesty the King-Father asked me to thank you on His behalf. He read with great
interest your report about your activities in reviving the cinema industry in
Cambodia."
-
Cabinet assistant of H.M. The King-Father Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia
Lead up to the 4th EDITION
Following the challenges experienced in the Cambodian media environment
during the process of producing the event’s 3rd edition, the festival
director made a decision to invite the participation of a Cambodian
youth group for the planned 4th edition, in order to better ensure for
the long term viability of the festival.
This decision was based on an estimation at the time, that the Cambodian
media sector could still require 10-20 years to evolve to a point where (like
neighboring Thailand) film festival events and related forms of public media
expression could be produced with a normal, reliable, bankable, streamlined process
typical of developed media environments.
Furthermore, it was estimated that the IP media sector in Cambodia may
require a similar period of time to develop to a point where backlash or
interference from local businesses and persons involved in organized unlicensed
exploitation of motion picture titles would be minimized or absent.
In short, it was assumed that a youth group would have the time
to ‘grow into’ a normal film culture. Problematic variables in the media sector
and Cambodian government processes would (hopefully) pass away over the years,
and the CamboFest film festival could serve as a point of departure or training
ground for interested future festival staff and media professionals.
Additionally, CamboFest’s director (Jason Rosette) a Caucasian
foreign filmmaker and media producer (though living in Cambodia fulltime, by
choice, as an unsubsidized freelancer for over half a decade), considered the
reality and perception of himself as a ‘colonial white face’ atop a Cambodian-based
collective to be unappealing and inconsistent with core founding notions of
CamboFest as a multicultural, pluralistic, local effort.
The participation of a local youth group, in this case the Kampot based Youth
Association for Human Resource Development (YAHRD), was deemed to be a
crucial step to the long term viability of the CamboFest effort, in whatever
form it would assume in the future.
YAHRD youth group members hand out flyers before
the start of CamboFest 4 screenings
The Fourth Edition of CAMBOFEST: March 1-9, 2011
Pre-production of CamboFest’s 4th edition took place
concurrently to the production of another regional film festival, also
established by CamboFest’s founder, the Bangkok IndieFest (www.bangkokfest.com) in
neighboring Thailand*. (*for a comparison both
festivals relevant to their respective environments, http://cambofest.blogspot.com/2011/12/brief-comparison-of-cambofest-cambodia.html)
In order to optimize the timing and synergy of both events, the 4th
edition of CamboFest was shifted back several months from its annual recurrent
timeline in order to exploit any publicity components generated during the
Bangkok IndieFest.
Therefore, the 4th edition of the CamboFest, Cambodia Film
Festival was slated to take place in March 2011, some 15 months after the
previous edition of December 2009, ‘rebooting’ towards a newly devised recurring
schedule.
Cold Feet
Fundraising for the 4th edition of the CamboFest carried on
as per previous editions, with vigorous outreach commencing to both individual
and institutional level supporters through direct outreach, mailing lists,
crowdfunding, and other means.
However, following the challenges from foreign interference experienced
at the previous, 3rd edition of CamboFest, institutional and foundational
level sponsors had ‘cold feet’, and were observably reluctant to support the 4th
edition of the festival - even with taxpayer funds at their disposal specifically
earmarked for use in challenged developing environments like Cambodia.
For example, one local embassy which had supported CamboFest in previous
editions, uncharacteristically balked at offering any support for the 4th
edition. Furthermore, the embassy would not allow the loan of either of its two
large venue projectors (as it had at the previous edition) for the youth
group’s training.
Additionally, a degree of misinformation presented by foreign residents in
Cambodia, including the representative of one foreign government-funded media
organization, the Cambodia Film Commission (see below), caused some
potential contributors to question CamboFest’s legitimacy in the eyes of the
Cambodian government, further affecting the availability of funding.
Therefore, one recommendation would be for potential future funders to seek
only an authorized, Cambodian government representative’s statement
regarding any effort’s ability and authorization to operate in the Cambodian
environment. Ideally, this confirmation should come from the highest Ministry
level or above.
In any case, despite the reluctance of institutional supporters during the
CamboFest’s 4th edition’s fundraising efforts, a host of worldwide individual
contributors stepped in to fill the gap instead.
These individual supporters were instrumental to the 4th
edition’s production and success.
A Phnom Penh based photographer, James Mizurski, for example provided
funds for the purchase of a 3D enabled projector to be provided to the Cambodian
YAHRD youth group for use during the event and their ongoing, year-round practice.
Germany-based contributor Rolando Dubioso, a longtime contributor to
Camerado projects, made one of several significant gifts for operational
funding.
Additional contributions were made by a variety of worldwide film and
media professionals, many who had never been to Cambodia, but who supported the
mission and approach of the CamboFest effort. (A list of all contributors here :http://cameradosocialissue.blogspot.com/2010/11/make-contribution-to-cambofest-cambodia.html
Remaining core funds for the 4th edition of CamboFest would
be derived from residual international filmmaker entry fees, with the shortfall
being covered by volunteerism on all sides, a portion of funds provided out of
pocket by the festival director himself, and a further reduction in costs
achieved by replacing the traditional CamboFest ‘Grabay Meas’ trophy with a
less costly awards certificate until revenue allowed its return.
Additional in-kind supporters stepped forward: the Cambodia Daily
newspaper, under the generous contribution of founder and publisher Bernard
Krishner, contributed pro-bono advertising to the CamboFest 4th
edition on a scale which would not have been affordable on the effort’s grass-roots
budget.
Technicolor (www.technicolor.com) in
Bangkok provided an in-kind facilities package to participating Cambodian
CamboFest filmmakers, showing a significant level of international support to
its ASEAN neighbor.
Finally, local foreign and Cambodian fans in Kampot promised their
support in the form of food, accommodation and other sustenance for the
festival staff, as they had in the 3rd edition.
In summary: thanks to individual worldwide contributors, the 4th
edition of CamboFest took place as planned.
The dates of the 4th edition of CamboFest were set a year in advance,
with dates set to run from March 1-9, 2011. The festival would again take place in Kampot,
Cambodia, following the invitation of the Kampot governor’s office following the
conclusion of the 3rd edition.
The festival was slated again to take place at the ‘Royal’ cinema house,
as per the 3rd edition, with the understanding that workflows with
the local, decentralized approvals process would be streamlined since the
previous event.
Additionally, the dates for the 4th edition of CamboFest were
chosen with International Women’s Day (March 8) in mind to form an armature for
appropriately themed films to take place throughout the festival, with the 8th
being a highlight day for films by women filmmakers.
For the 4th edition, the festival run was extended from 3 days
to 9 days, with a repeat of programs as needed, in order to provide a more
difficult target for possible interference of the kind sustained during the 3rd
edition; whether or not this would occur again was unknown. The extra days
would allow more recovery time from any misinformation placed in the local press
while providing a contingency for any last minute, unexpected interventions
from the Cambodian government.
Ultimately, no notable interference from foreigners residing in Cambodia
occurred during the lead up to the 4th edition of CamboFest.
However, last minute methodological challenges occurred in
the Cambodian government’s permissions process, in an arbitrary departure from
the previously established decentralized approvals process.
The Cambodian government ministry in charge of film festival cultural
events, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (MOCFA) intervened five days
prior to the event with a request to inspect and review all content to be
presented at CamboFest, overriding the Kampot governor’s authority to approve
the event independently.
This occurred despite the fact that a copy of all 50+ films had already
long been provided to the Kampot governor’s office for review and observation
on DVD.
Calls from CamboFest staff, the YAHRD youth group, and the CamboFest director
to Som Sokum, Cambodia's Secretary of State in Charge of Cinema in the Culture
and Fine Arts Ministry, had no effect on restoring the process to the previously
implemented decentralized system.
The Secretary – who had on May 19, 2010 signed a Film Cooperation
agreement with the French CNC (Centre National de la Cinématographie) – stated
he was unable to agree to the Kampot governor’s authorization to approve the
event in the normal decentralized fashion, as had been done in the previous
edition.
This new requirement by the MOCFA required an additional last minute visit
by CamboFest staff and petitions to the department of Cinema representative in
Phnom Penh.
After some time in last minute discussion, a Cambodian government
representative at the Department of Cinema indicated that he would not impede
CamboFest’s 4th edition event if it did not collect revenue, as it was
designated primarily for the training of the benefit and training of the YAHRD
Youth Group in Kampot in any case.
Following the meeting with the representative of the Department of
Cinema in Phnom Penh, the organizers of CamboFest returned to Kampot and
continued to train and tech the YAHRD youth group in time for the 4th
edition of the festival.
Since revenues could now no longer be collected if the festival were to
proceed, the event could now no longer afford to rent the vintage ‘Royal’ movie
hall: that venue had to be abandoned in favor of an immediate, pro-bono substitute.
With only one day to locate a replacement venue, CamboFest staff and
members of the YAHRD youth group scoured Kampot on foot for a workable festival
location that would enable the youth group to undertake its film festival training.
Responding to the needs of the event, the Cambodian owned and operated Little
Garden Guesthouse in Kampot was the first to offer its outdoor open air
restaurant and lounge as a replacement screening venue.
An unanticipated benefit to this change was that its open air structure
on the street level near the Kampot riverside allowed for more ambient and
unplanned foot traffic than might otherwise be gained.
For example, after the CamboFest was underway, a number of disabled and
wheelchair bound audience members were able to view films simply by rolling up
to the curb and watching with everyone else – something that would not be
possible with a less accessible venue.
One Cambodian former soldier and mine victim happened upon an evening screening
of a landmine awareness documentary at the event, and was greatly moved by what
he saw and experienced, stating that he learned (through the film) that there
were others like him, and that resources & organizations existed to assist him.
With regard to ‘cultural and moral’ aspects of the filmed content, requiring
approval and observation by the Cambodian government, CamboFest staffers referred
to local Cambodian sensibilities by pre-screening movies to youth group members
and others to eliminate any potential problems with content during public
exhibition at the festival event.
CamboFest's fourth edition therefore, took place largely as planned, on March
2-6, 2011. As mentioned, dates were publicly listed as March 1-9; the extra
days were designed as ‘padding’ to render any potential targeted pranks and last
minute Cambodian government variances less problematic for the event.
This had fortuitously been the case, since one festival day had been
rescheduled due to the last minute intervention by the MOCFA.
Youth group members and CamboFest’s founder J
Rosette with guests at the 4th edition
Achievements and Accomplishments at
CamboFest’s 4th Edition
After all the earlier challenges, there was minimal interference with
the CamboFest event from any source after it was actually up and running.
The YAHRD youth group quickly learned to set up and operate all
screening equipment, and by the final day were autonomously running the entire
event: greeting guests, setting up hardware, changing discs, announcing the
program, distributing flyers, and more.
Despite the unique 4th edition challenges, the significant local
participation and training of the Cambodian youth group - a crucial link to the
formation of a local film culture in Cambodia – took place as planned.
“Cambofest
was a first experience for our youth. It showed them many sides of movie shows
not just projecting. Because experience was hands-on, it gave them many skills.
How to talk to customers, setup screen, and use DVD player and speakers. It
also challenge them to think quickly. They tell me they have confidence now
because of Cambofest. Since Cambofest, I
see this is true. We look forward to
staying involved in Cambofest.”---Keut Mattrohet, Youth Group Representative & Cambofest volunteer
“I like
Cambofest and want it to come back. I only work one night because I busy, but
learn about movies and how to set up machine. Movies show me about the world
and many different people. I like that. My favourite movies about Khmer Rouge
and landmine. I want Cambofest to come back so I talk to film people and learn
about making movies.”---El Son, Youth Group member & volunteer
“I enjoy
Cambofest. Never before I have chance to be so brave. Cambofest make me brave
talking to customers, selling T-shirts. I learn about equipment and now can
setup and show movie show. Cambofest make me interested in movies and how they
are made. I want to know more about movies like acting, writing, scenery and
camera. I like movies about Cambodia and Khmer people best. Cambofest very good
for youth group and Kampot.”---Saffiy Man, Youth Group member &
Cambofest volunteer
The youth group, many of whom had never even operated AV gear before, set
up and operated all equipment, changed screeners, greeted and informed guests,
conducted outreach and publicity, and by the final day were essentially running
the entire CamboFest 4th edition event.
The festival, along with the youth group training effort, was undertaken
without any donor or agency mandate, and without any institutional donor
support beyond individual contributions, and with a bare minimum amount of
funding.
CamboFest’s director would encourage funders and donors operating in the
Cambodian environment to reflect upon, and adjust if necessary, their funding
priorities and workflows as needed to support worthwhile efforts like CamboFest
in atypical markets in the future.
In another notable development, long-time CamboFest staffer and co-organizer,
Cambodian national Phun Sokunthearith, was invited to participate in the
prestigious DW-Akademie film festival training program at the
2011 Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival) in Germany.
Rith (aka ‘Mr. Tol’) returned to Cambodia after a month in Berlin, only
a few days before the commencement of CamboFest’s 4th edition. He
brought with him new skills and capabilities specifically designed for
organizing film festival programs, thanks to that organization’s generous assistance
and mentorship.
Notable screenings at the 4th edition of CamboFest included, along
with fifty other new local and international films: the long-awaited official
Cambodian premiere of Robert Flaherty's pioneering documentary, 'Nanook
of the North', with historic live Khmer narration, translated and read to
an eager audience by the youth group.
The pioneering documentary finally enjoyed its official premiere in
Cambodia, 88 years after its initial release, with the permission of the Robert
Flaherty Film Seminars, Inc, who monitored and supported the production of the
event closely despite its challenges.
‘Nanook of the North’ enjoys its belated official Cambodian premiere at the 4th
edition of CamboFest – 88 years after its release (Courtesy Flaherty Film
Seminars., Inc.)
‘
Regrettably, due to the unexpected intervention from the Cambodian MOCFA,
the owner of Kampot’s ‘Royal’ theater had not been able to enjoy any of the
rental revenue he had been counting on and sorely needed to fix his truck.
The CamboFest director, after the conclusion of the event, therefore
went to retrieve an unofficial payment made earlier to a staff member at the
Kampot governor’s office. This staff member had earlier promised to accelerate
the decentralized permissions process, and had assured approval from the local
Culture ministry in Kampot, a promise that was not kept.
Following a brief discussion, and in an exceptionally rare display of the
refund of unofficial fees, the governor’s staff member returned the sum to the
CamboFest director.
In turn, a coffee making kit was then purchased with the recovered
corruption money and was given to the owner of the ‘Royal’ cinema and his
family as a microbusiness mechanism.
It was hoped that the loss of rental revenue would be offset over the
course of time by this microbusiness, with the family selling cups of coffee
and tea to curious guests who continued to stop by the ‘Royal’ throughout the
year.
To this day, visitors coming to the vintage ‘Royal’ movie hall in Kampot
can currently spend some time in the old Cambodian cinema house, while enjoying
a cup of coffee or tea for only $1/4000Riel*. (*guests should be able to ask
for the coffee or tea in Khmer language)
Post-Festival Environment
After the conclusion of the 4th edition of CamboFest, it
became apparent that there are still fundamental challenges to producing a
non-aligned, independent film festival event in the current Cambodian context.
Although independent film festivals are the norm around the world, foreign
state funded efforts in the Cambodian environment are dominant and continue to
impact the viability of non-aligned media events which do not enjoy an equal
level of subsidy.
By way of example, there are many independent film festivals in
neighboring Thailand, including the Camerado-produced Bangkok IndieFest,
which did not experience any of the resistances in the media environment that
had been encountered with the production of CamboFest. (*for a comparison, see http://cambofest.blogspot.com/2011/12/brief-comparison-of-cambofest-cambodia.html)
Moreover, a degree of market distortion resulting from the dominance of
‘free’* foreign government subsidized cultural events in Cambodia, along with
observable local government restrictions on ticket sales, makes it
a challenge to recoup event production costs at the door as per normal
developed environments. (*free locally, but paid for
by taxpayers in respective home countries)
A decision was therefore made by the director of CamboFest, after the
conclusion of the 4th edition of the event, to disengage from an annual/one
year festival cycle which is typical of mature and fully industrialized media
markets. This decision would be sustained until the media ecosystem in Cambodia
normalized to a reasonably developed level, and without impediments imposed
through market distortions resulting from heavily subsidized, foreign-aligned
programs.
The festival will continue on an event-by-event basis as demand,
support, resources, interest, and creative will allows.
However, popular demand based on numerous sign-ups on the CamboFest
mailing list, that a 5th festival edition would be welcomed, and a 5th
edition of the festival is planned.
Funders, sponsors,
filmmakers, volunteers and others kindly contact info@cambofest.com with
inquiries.
Continued Challenges:
“the shadow is darkest beneath the lamp”
Some challenges continued after the conclusion of the 4th
edition of the CamboFest festival, however, as elements of non-constructive misinformation
continued to propagate in the local Cambodian media environment.
One notable instance of misinformation emerged, disappointingly, from a foreign-funded
media organization established ostensibly to help revive a local cinema culture
in Cambodia: the Cambodia Film Commission.
In August, 2011, some months after the conclusion of the 4th
edition of CamboFest, a foreign employee working with the Cambodian Film
Commission emailed the CamboFest director with some apparently significant news:
from Cedric ELOY - CFC
cedric.eloy@cambodia-cfc.org
to Jason Rosette / CAMERADO
date Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 12:22 PM
subject Re: Correction ~ Fw:
about CamboFest
Important mainly because
of your interaction with messages in the conversation.
hide details Aug 18
Hi Jason,
Thank you for the info.
We had a meeting with the Ministry of Culture when they told us that
CAMBOFEST was no longer authorized to operate in Cambodia.
Did you get any formal information regarding this ?...
The representative provided no further information or clarification, despite
several followup emails from the CamboFest director. Some response would have
been arguably appropriate, given that the representative, Mr. Cedric Eloy, occupied
a visible position at a significant Cambodia-based cinema organization dedicated
to the “the revival of Cambodian cinema culture” in Cambodia (UniFrance
Films Website).
Whether Mr. Eloy’s involvement in the forthcoming 2nd edition
of the Cambodia International Film Festival (an effort which CamboFest
applauds as part of a pluralistic Cambodian civil society in any case) was a
factor in his spontaneous outreach can only be surmised.
The Cambodia Film Commission is an organization established with
funding by Film France in cooperation with the French development organization,
AFD (Groupe Agence Française de Développement), and “dedicated to the revival of Cambodian cinema culture”.
Inexplicably, the foreign CFC representative was unwilling or unable to
clarify his statement which, if true, would adversely impact the ability of a
Cambodian youth group to remain involved with a notable Cambodia-based film
effort (CamboFest) as a vital training ground for the future “revival of
Cambodian cinema culture” in Cambodia.
On August 24th, addressing the earlier statement made by the
foreign CFC representative, the Director of the Cambodian Department of Cinema
and Diffusion in Phnom Penh provided the following clarification to the
CamboFest director and co-organizer:
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011
07:09:21 -0700 [08/24/2011 09:09:21 AM
From: Chansaya Sin
To: info@cambofest.com
Subject: Fw: CamboFest
Show this HTML in a new window?
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Chansaya Sin
To: The CamboFest Team
Sent:
Subject: Re: CamboFest
Dear Jason,
The Cinema and
Cultural Diffusion Department will support you and want you to involve in the next CamboFest film festival.
I want to meet you as soon as possible. Recently,We are preparing to
International Film Festival at beginning December 2011.
Best Regards,
Sin Chan Saya
Director of
Department of Cinema and Cultural Diffusion
Mobile: (855) 12 864 769
The earlier, non-authorized statement by the foreign civil servant at
the Cambodia Film Commission had been directly contradicted by an authorized Cambodian
government staff member.
It was probable, nonetheless, that some individuals in the local Cambodian
operational and funding environment had mistaken the foreign CFC
representative’s (non) authority to make determinations on the part of the
Cambodian government, and had subsequently declined consideration of CamboFest
as a legitimate effort worthy of funding or support.
As a case in point, one notable local Phnom Penh movie exhibition venue,
which had already provided CamboFest with a written letter of intent to offer
venue support for the next CamboFest edition, abruptly ended contact with the CamboFest
director around the time of the foreign CFC employee’s statement.
CamboFest had again sustained interference by foreigners in its effort
to positively impact the Cambodian civil society - in this case, regrettably, by the employee of a foreign media development
agency.
Therefore, to re-emphasize the position of the Cambodian government
regarding CamboFest, the Director of the Department of Cinema and Cultural
Diffusion clearly and definitively contradicts the earlier statement made by
the foreign civil servant working at the CFC:
“The Cinema and
Cultural Diffusion Department will support you and want you to involve in the
next CamboFest film festival.”
Mr. Eloy’s problematic communication was particularly disappointing, given
that the founder of CamboFest had consulted the CFC’s co-founding body Film
France, free of charge, in 2008 during research and development for the
nascent Cambodia Film Commission before that organization’s founding.
At the time, in support of the Cambodian Film Commission’s agency’s aims
and mission, CamboFest’s founder had produced a pro bono video featuring
a discussion with Film France’s Franck Priot (See the video on Youtube @
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUKBdBNTxj0)
Interested persons, now and into the future, are therefore encouraged
only to contact an authorized Cambodian government representative with
questions regarding the legitimacy of any media or cultural undertaking or
project taking place in the Cambodian environment.
In any case, two months later, during a late October meeting between Mr.
Sin Chan Saya and the CamboFest director, Mr. Sin Chan Saya stated that Mr.
Eloy ‘would be leaving’ the Cambodian Film Commission.
He further stated that he was aware of additional consternation and
signs of disharmony, expressed by other media practitioners in Cambodia and
beyond, which had been caused by the foreign civil servant’s behavior. He did
not elaborate further.
CamboFest encourages all media practitioners and development staff
working in Cambodia to adopt a contemporary, pluralistic, and inclusive
approach to cultural and media efforts in the modern, independent Cambodian
context.
CamboFest furthermore suggests that all foreigners in Cambodia, whether
involved in the development sector or private sector, cease any destructive
expressions of territorialism or rivalry that may cause damage to the stated common
cause of assisting Cambodia’s development.
The Next Stage and Beyond
With the Cambodian government representative’s statement of support of CamboFest,
in late 2011 the festival commenced an international traveling component. This
marks the first time that a Cambodian film festival will travel internationally.
CamboFest would be making its first stop in New York City on December 6,
2011, with selections from CamboFest and its regional affiliate, Bangkok
IndieFest, screening in that town of 8 million souls.
Cambodian, Thai, Laotian, and other international films from the
CamboFest 4th edition are slated to screen on December 6, 2011, at the
renowned Anthology Film
Archives, an international center for the
preservation, study,
and exhibition of film
and video founded in 1969 by Jonas Mekas, Jerome Hill, P. Adams Sitney, Peter
Kubelka, and Stan Brakhage.
(Further host venues around the world TBA as they are
confirmed on an ongoing basis; interested venues can contact info@cambofest.com)
Meanwhile, in Cambodia, the YAHRD youth group has undertaken several
screening events of their own since the conclusion of CamboFest’s 4th
edition, using AV equipment provided by CamboFest’s individual contributors
during fundraising efforts in 2010/2011.
Youth group representatives stated in late November 2011 that they
intend to continue undertaking their own movie shows, as they had started doing
following the conclusion of the 4th CamboFest event.
Following the 4th edition of CamboFest,
the YAHRD Youth group undertakes its own autonomous screenings using gear on
loan from CamboFest and contributed by individual worldwide supporters
Most recently, the group leader stated that H.E. Khieu Kanharith, Cambodian
Minister of Information, had personally applauded their efforts and had encouraged
them to continue to further promoting Khmer cinema as best they can.
SUMMARY
This report should serve as one example of the types of challenges that
may occur in any country that is seeking to develop its civil society through any
number of foreign agencies and guests.
Local governments are advised to observe their own development situations,
and in the case of observable disharmony or non-constructive rivalry or territorialism,
intervene in order to educate and guide practitioners, actors, and institutions
in a more suitable and constructive way.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on experiences producing the CamboFest 4th edition and
related efforts in Cambodia, CamboFest makes the following recommendations in
order to reasonably and effectively continue to develop a media and film
industry in Cambodia.
For Non-Cambodian Agencies, Persons, and Governments Operating in
Cambodia:
- Kindly recognize Cambodia’s sovereignty as an
independent nation, and accordingly defer in all cases to the Cambodian
government’s authority to determine and approve media and cultural related
efforts.
- Interested 3rd party persons,
practitioners, investors, funders, audience members, filmmakers, and
others should only seek out an official Cambodian government position
regarding the validity and legitimacy of any media events or efforts in
the Cambodian territory, versus than relying on local hearsay or other non-authorized
perspectives.
- Foreign guests in Cambodia: kindly refrain
from obstructing or otherwise interfering with any legitimate project or
effort, of any scale or funding level, which has been approved by the
Cambodian government.
For the Cambodian Government and Relevant Authorities:
- Maintain reasonable oversight over foreign
guests to ensure that behaviors are not detrimental to the overall development
of the civil society. Current trends in Cambodia point to an increasingly
distorted patron-client relationship, with some foreign elements exhibiting
excessively autonomous, unmoderated, and counterproductive influence.
- Educate foreign residents, guests, business
owners, and representatives of development and political organizations, regarding
the limitations of their authority to speak on behalf of relevant
Cambodian government agencies.
- Encourage independent, fully Cambodian staffed
and funded efforts and organizations in order to build local confidence
and capability over the long term, while offsetting the influence and
reliance upon foreign elements.
CAMBOFEST, Cambodia Film Festival (www.cambofest.com) looks
forward to its 5th edition, and welcomes contributors, sponsors,
partners, filmmakers, fans, and supporters.
Get the latest updates by subscribing to the
CamboFest mailing list
NOTES
CamboFest co-organizers,
colleagues and staff include:
Phun Sokunthearith,
Co-organizer (DW-Akademie alumnus)
Mr. Jason “Camerado”
Rosette, Founder/Co-organizer
The YAHRD Youth Group (http://yahrd.wordpress.com/)
Mr. Suong Sambath, Logistics and Operations
...and others as the
event continues to grow and evolve.
Decentralization in Cambodia
UNCDF Report: http://www.uncdf.org/english/local_development/uploads/thematic/adb/UNCDF_Cambodia.pdf
Film Commissions
Association of Film Commissions International: http://www.afci.org/production-resources/value-commission
An example of a successful and active US based film commission is the
New Mexico Film Office: http://www.nmfilm.com/
Operating with limited funds, the Film Office maintains an objective,
non-involved position in the local industry. The organization provides
information and referrals to resources to all local vendors and staff, without
bias or favoritism.
CamboFest’s 3rd Edition
Photo and video coverage & a look behind the scenes at the challenges
and successes of the 3rd Edition of CamboFest:
(Downloadable Kindle version of this report available shortly on Amazon
Digital – check back soon for download links HERE)
