Dates Set for CAMBOFEST 2007: Phnom Penh Edition

Dates have been set, with Venue A already confirmed:

CamboFest 2007 will take place June 16 & 17th at two venues here in Phnom Penh, to be announced shortly! Filmmakers to be notified soon as well...

Was just back up in Siam Reap, scoping out venues for a Siam REap edition, currently not officially announced, but in the works with an anticipated late October/Early November date (and with Venue B already locked in!)

To stay in the loop, be sure to check www.cambofest.com

Busy Busy BUSY!!!

Running around (or shall I say RIDING around on trusty Daelim moto) like mad, collecting discs, meeting with venue folks, etc. Apologies for tardy blog action, but it's not really a top priority right now! ;)

However, might be interesting for some folks to note that I finally received one entry which had been sent on February 11th, so, arriving today here in Phnom Penh [ in good shape, it looks like] at our PO Box means an elapsed time of TWO MONTHS!!!!

Also interesting to point out that these were entries from the US; some Aussie entries zipped over here in about a week, so it definitely does depend on country of sender.

So...a few other stragglers may still be making their appearance, unless folks prefer to resend via FedEx, etc. Even so, it's probably about 10-15% entries who are AWOL in some way.

What doe this mean? Well, could mean POSSIBLY adjusting the festival date to make sure they're all in; or another option, doing an "unplugged" selection of CamboFest movies herein Phnom Penh as planned mid June, with main event in Siem Reap (Angkor Town) later, atthe end of rainy season...

Scoping out Venues in Siem Reap (city of Angkor)

Hot day today, taking break before heading out to hustle a Tuk Tuk and drive around all day, scoping out venues for CamboFest; ideally, would like to show the CamboFest program in both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, this of course depends on what we can secure in terms of venues, gallery spaces, etc to show da'flix.

Have been to the temples a few times before, will pass today and focvus onl;y on CamboFest; even so, can feel their force from afar, tugging like a magnet. It's the Khmer heartbeat, the center of their once glorious (and very powerful) empire...

More later, internet slow up here

J

Brief diversion via Thailand; CamboFest rachets up again

Brief lull as more entries came in through Khmer post, had to take a few days off to intercept some family in Thailand.

Not to worry: trusty assistant coordnator Vuth was hustling DVDs back from the Post Office and updating the WAB info...just another example of how CamboFest has increased the skills of another local Khmer individual, Vuth didn't even know what a film festival was before he started working with us on CamboFest (all private sector so far as well, not an NGO)

More movies coming in...

Regrouping as more movies come in; looks our festival manager will be confirmed shortly and will be onboard by April 1st.

So far, some strong flicks from around the world. Main issue now is how to construct the program to appeal to both local and indie friendly audiences--the cultural divide is significant and will be interesting to address, program-wise.

New Staff Member Coming Soon!

Announcement to be made shortly; in the meantime continuing to receive and evaluate movies as they trickle in therough Khmer Post

Finally getting the early submissions...

Finally we are getting some of the earlier submissions which had been delayed by Khmer post. As I said before, Khmer post is generally very reliable, but can sometimes involve unexpected delays.

Also, shared the CamboFest site and concept with some fellow students in my Master's of Development program at Royal University of Phnom Penh; they're all very interested in the whole thing, although none of them really know what a "film festival" is (!)...currently, there's very little in the way of indie film culture in Cambodia.

Of course, with CamboFest, we hope to change that!

Update Regarding Tardy Movies / CORRUPTION STRIKES!!!

Hi--

Just a quick upate to let you all knwo that a few of the movies sent very early on still have not arrived; our thinking is the Khmer Postal staff was so stunned by the idea of getting all these DVDs sent that they did not initially react normally and may have sent them onward (say, to Singapore)

We'll wait and see, but just letting you all know if you're worried about your tardy movie, we'll suggest at the one month mark...that you might want to re-send? Sorry about this, but hey, this is a developing nation.

But so far, the vast majority of movies have been received with little problem.

But the little problem now is...bribage at the Post Office...some DVDs are now being mysteriously held for ranson, which we are paying (few thousand Riel)

Anyway, keep the movies coming, and thanks for your interest in CamboFest!

New conceptual addition to CamboFest: the rural component!

In the latest conceptual update to CamboFest, we've decided to do a program of screenings out in the countryside as well as showing in the city (since Cambodia is 80% rural, figured it was only fitting to do something like this)

Though there will be some logistical challenges to be sorted out, we're excited to do this--we think it'll be a great way to bring a few movies out to the real Cambodia (oxcarts, ricefields, and very fresh & curious audiences) as well!

Updates

More movies coming in from around the world, thanks for all the interest so far! Now getting our Khmer staff solidified. Since we're also working with a local children's organization for organizational support (www.scdcambodia.org) our budget in some areas is still limited...ergo, we can use any pro bono assistance folks from abroad feel like contributing including: web tweaking, publicity, etc! Drop us a line at camerado@camerado.com if you're interested

Things solid though overall, minus slowish Khmer post...

Slow-Arriving Submissions: You Are Not Forgotten!

Just to confirm that we are stil aware of the wide variance in arrival times for submissions, some being submitting a while ago and still not in the PO BOx, while others have only been sent maybe 10 days ago and received already...can only surmise that Khmer Post has perked up after the first few discs arrived and are being more speedy than usual.

Keep in mind that:

1) We don't check off films as received until they are actually in our PO Box

2) Almost everything does eventually arrive (haven't had anything mailed here yeat that didn't arrive)

Again: for those who truly need a trackable (but more epensive) method for sending movies, email us at camerado@camerado.com to arraneg for DHL / Fd Ex info.

*** CAMBOFEST FLYER in Khmer and English ***

For some reason, Blogger didn't update; so, here it is again a PDF of a flyer which can be posted in cafes, film schools, movie houses, etc...appreciate anyone spreading the word!

http://www.camerado.com/picture_show/cambofest_flyer_english_khmer.pdf

Thanks Again

J

CamboFest PDF in Khmer and English

Now added: a simple Call for Submissions flyer in Khmer and English which can be printed out and hung in coffee shops, film schools, screening centers, etc around the world...anyone who can lend a hand, please print out and hang one up on your hottest bulletin board!

Thanks,

J "J" R

**THE FLYER: **

http://www.camerado.com/picture_show/cambofest_flyer_english_khmer.pdf