Image courtesy of CTFF.
The third annual Cambodia Town Film Festival has announced its complete lineup for the four-day event at the Art Theatre, to take place September 3 through September 6.
CTFF was created in 2013 to draw attention to the diversity of the Cambodian experience as expressed through film. The festival will showcase works by both established and emerging filmmakers in various cinematic genres, including documentaries, re-released classics, short films and animated features.
In addition, panel discussions with directors, producers, writers and actors will give audience members valuable insight into the films.
This year’s CTFF marks 40 years since the Khmer Rouge regime’s brutal takeover of Cambodia, which maintained its hold on the country for nearly four years between 1975 and 1979. Up to two million people died of overwork, starvation, disease and execution.
“It is important to acknowledge the impact of the Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian people, not only during the regime itself, but for decades afterward,” said CTFF co-founder praCh Ly in a statement.
He said the films featured this year are all influenced by the violence and trauma of the Khmer Rouge period and its aftermath in some way.
“At the same time, however, the CTFF pays tribute to the strength and resilience of the survivors,” he said.
The CTFF will open with a Filmmaker Welcome Reception on Thursday, September 3 and will conclude with an Award Ceremony on Sunday, September 6. Highlights include screenings of The Last Reel, with legendary actress Dy Saveth, newcomer Ma Rynet and Director Kulikar Sotho in the Q&A panel, The Killing Fields, the academy-award winning film by Roland Joffe first released in 1984, and The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor (2015), which tells the dramatic story of Haing Ngor, the physician and actor who portrayed journalist Dith Pran, the main character in Joffe’s film.
See below for the complete line-up of screenings and watch the CTFF trailer, here.
Saturday, September 5
11:00AM: The Last Reel, directed by Kulikar Sotho
A contemporary story about love, family and the ghosts of Cambodia’s past
3:00PM: Bonne Nuit Papa, directed by Marina Kem
A poetic journey of fulfilling a dying father’s last wish.
5:00PM: Short Film Corner
A selection of seven short films, followed by a Q & A session with filmmakers
7:45PM: Listening, directed by Khalil Sullins
A story about the attempts to harness the power of the human mind
Sunday, September 6
11:00AM: Angkor’s Children, directed by Lauren Shaw
A film about the power of art to heal a nation after genocide, told through voices of three young women,
followed by a Q & A session with the filmmakers
Our Journey follows the struggles of young teenager growing up in a low income neighborhood in East
Oakland
1:00PM: The Roots Remain, directed by Jean-Sebastien Francoeur and Andrew Marchand-Boddy
The story of Canadian-raised graffiti artist FONKi as he returns to his ancestral Cambodia, followed by a Q & A
session with the filmmakers
3:15PM: The Killing Fields, directed by Roland Joffe
6:00PM: The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor, directed by Arthur Dong, followed by a Q & A session with
Sophia Ngor, Dr. Haing S. Ngor’s niece, and Jack Ong, a close friend of the Ngor family.
9:00PM: Award Ceremony
For more information, visit the CTFF official website here.
