The short film Work Life by Cambodian-American director Kevin Ung is set to premiere next month at the 47th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF). Ung is the son of a Cambodian couple who escaped the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror and immigrated to America. The film is about four corporate co-workers who unknowingly cross paths during a chaotic weekend that leaves their lives intertwined through improbable twists of fate, according to Ung. Though on the surface the film seems to be a comedy,Work Life touches on deeper themes like the loneliness and detachment of modern life that office workers are…
Author: Raksmey Hong
Sorn Leza is a student at the Liger leadership Academy who is currently preparing to depart for the US, where she has earned a full four-year scholarship to Union College in New York. The 17-year-old will depart in July, but this is not the first time the talented teenager has travelled long distances to pursue her studies. “No matter what subject I study, and where I study it, I will not forget the place where I was born. My time at the Liger Academy has motivated me to think about the issues my community – and my country – face.…
Van Libo, now in his seventies, is from the second generation of his family to work as an engraver of copper and silver at the Phnhi Tes Handicraft Shop in Prek Kdam Muoy village of Koh Chen commune in Kandal province’s Ponhea Leu district. Now, as he gets older, a third generation of his family have inherited the profession from him and six of his nine children are working with copper at the shop. “Six of my siblings started copper engraving careers after being taught how to do it by our parents who inherited this knowledge from their family,” said…
More than 200 students from 23 schools and 13 universities across the Kingdom are preparing for this weekend’s semi-final stages of the National Debate Championship. The event was most recently held in 2020, but was postponed several times due to the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic. This year’s event is the ninth edition of the popular tournament. “Now that the pandemic has passed, we are back with the 9th National Debate Championship 2023. It is our great pleasure to once again host the tournament,” said Chheang Yuki Lisa, president of the National Debate Society Cambodia (NDSC). She said that…
Produced in 2021, Karmalink, the Kingdom’s first home-grown science fiction feature film, will debut in Cambodian cinemas on February 17. The film features augmented reality and state-of-the-art visual effects. The film was co-produced by local filmmaker Sok Visal and directed by American Jake Wachtel. The cast and additional crew are all Cambodian. “This really will be a ‘first sci-fi’ for Cambodian cinema – filmed in Cambodia, with a Khmer cast and crew” said Wachtel. “Cambodian culture has deeply inspired me. I hope Cambodians will feel proud to see their city and their culture reflected in the sci-fi genre with a…
Many local tourists have diverted some of their holiday time from trekking across Cambodia’s tallest mountains such as Phnom Oral, Phnom Samkos and Phnom Tum – popular activities during the Covid-19 pandemic – to visiting the beaches and the coastal areas of the Kingdom, especially Koh Kong Krao. According to tour guides and adventure enthusiasts, the trend of hiking through the mountains and jungle seems to have diminished somewhat and travel to visit the coastal areas has increased significantly. Choun Phirom, an adventure tour guide who often takes visitors to wander in the deep forest and climb mountains and has…
Some tourists like lying in the sun on the beach, some like nature activities bird watching and others enjoy historical tourism like visiting ancient buildings. The tourism project by the artist Poy Chhunly – nicknamed “Pacquiao Khmer” for his resemblance to the boxer – originally from Battambang province, is different. It is an art tour that allows visitors who love the arts to experience the local artwork and get to know the real situation of artists in Battambang province. Chhunly, 42, started his animation career in 2002 after graduating from Phare Ponleu Selpak. His film “Revive” was the winner of…
This year, the EU is organising the 2023 European Film Festival in Cambodia (EUFF23) at four locations across Phnom Penh. The festival will kick off with a screening of the Ukrainian drama “Mother of Apostles” on February 17 at the French Institute of Cambodia (IFC). “This year we have increased the number of feature films to 26 and added two short film events and more side events, including a roundtable discussion with Cambodian and European filmmakers on February 14,” according to a statement by the EU delegation to Cambodia, which sponsors the festival. “The 10 days of screenings will offer…
Cambodia was recently ranked 15th out of 199 nations for average IQ, placing it second in Southeast Asia behind Singapore, according to the World Population Review, an independent organisation based in the US state of California. In 2023, the average IQ of Cambodians is 99.75. Japan has the highest average, at 106.48, followed by Taiwan. Singapore places third in the world, and number one in Southeast Asia. The review placed Cambodia one place ahead of Canada and several above the UK, US and France. China, Macau and Belarus all placed above the Kingdom. Nepal, with an average IQ of 42.99,…
A collection of authentic reproductions of vintage Khmer silk products is to go on permanent display from February 15 at the MGC Asian Traditional Textiles Museum in Siem Reap. The eleven pieces include four silk towels, five sampots (long, traditional skirts) – woven in the traditional Cambodian ikat pattern – and two large pidans, decorative panels used to decorate the pagoda or the home for special ceremonies. The pieces were painstakingly crafted using only traditional designs and equipment, including traditional Khmer looms. “Currently, a team of specialists are putting the finishing touches on each of these products. They are perfect…