A Completely Cambodian Production - Interview with Rithy Panh
The arrival of the 2nd Cambodian International Film Festival in Phnom Penh last week saw 90 films on show for free, over five days, at five different venues. One film, “The Catch”, from Cambodian Director Rithy Panh is a successful reinterpretation of a novella by Kenzaburo Oe, written in 1957. Whereas the book was set in Japan in WWII, the film tells the story of a black American pilot, crash landing in rural Cambodia in 1972 and being captured by the Khmer Rouge.
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The Christmas Elephant Parade – Who’d have thought it. Santa on a Domray!
This Saturday, December the 17th of December, Santa will be straying a long way from his snowy Lapland home far off in the distant north, to visit the good people of Phnom Penh.
And he will be using a rather unusual mode of transport. There will be not a reindeer in sight, and Chris Cringle will be riding not a sled, but an elephant. Yes, all the family can come and see Father Christmas riding the Wat Phnom Matriarch, Sombo the elephant.
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Panto Time: Cinderella’s Hard Day's Night
Cinderella slaves away in the factories all day only to come home and play housekeeper to her wicked step-mother and ugly step sisters. Her home in the Lakeside district is about to be bulldozed, and just when things appear most grim, she is invited to the Prince's birthday party ...The Phnom Penh Players are bringing a Phnom Penh flavour to the classic fairy tale this yuletide, with a host of classic Bealtes hits interwoven into the story to get you singing along in true panto style.
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Rain Won't Stop Play: Flood Relief Gig at Titanic Club
Earlier in the year, Cambodia saw the worst flooding in over a decade; at least 150 killed, 100,000 families in 15 provinces affected, 170,000 hectares of rice fields and 63,000 homes were submerged, more than 300 schools were closed, Much of the country is still reeling from the impact. A fact which is so easy to ignore in the hermetically sealed, Phnom Penh, expat bubble.
But the cliché that the worst of times brings out the best in people holds true and many have been doing their bit to help out.
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Macbeth Finally Plays in Vietnam
With the imagery of the witches running through the whole production, great soundtrack-style music and six actors doubling up in numerous roles to make up the full cast of the play, Macbeth's opening night at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House on Wednesday Oct. 26 proved to be everything that was expected and more.
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Keeping the Kids Happy: Halloween Origami with Miho
If you can’t think what to do with your little monsters this Halloween weekend, how about getting hands on and crafty at a Halloween Origami Workshop with Origami artist Miho Saturai at Monument Books this Saturday.
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Hip-Hop Heroes Hit Town
Not one, not two, but three of the brightest stars of the US hip-hop underground are preparing to hit Hanoi this month as C.A.M.A. Vietnam presents the Weirdo Heroes Tour. Featuring acclaimed LA rhymer Busdriver, New York alt-rap superstar Louis Logic and folk-hop icon Ceschi, the tour brings these three MCs together in Asia for the first time — at Chez Xuan, the open-air restaurant up in An Duong.
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See the dream: "Lost Loves" screening at Meta House Sunday
![](http://www.expat-advisory.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/thumbnail_meduim/southeast-asia/cambodia/article_images/see-dream-quotlost-lovesquot-screening-meta-house-sunday_67100177628362265724100000556854551525601428661n_july-30-2011-717am.jpg "See the dream: "Lost Loves" screening at Meta House Sunday")
Making a film is difficult. Getting it into theaters where people can see it can be even harder, as local director Chhay Bora is learning.
"My dream was to be a filmmaker," says Mr. Chhay. The dream was hatched when he was a student at the Fine Arts University, 25 years ago.
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“Between”: The first Cambodian-Burmese Art Exchange at Meta House
The art project and exhibition “Between” brings together four contemporary artists from Myanmar, Aung Naing Soe, Ma Ei, Htoo Aung Kyaw, Phyu Mon, and four contemporary artists from Cambodia, Yim Maline, Khvay Samnang, Meas Sokhorn, Tes Vanna. This is the first time that such a collaboration has occurred the artists involved in this art exchange and exhibition reveal individual notions of what contemporary art can be.All of them explore different forms and materials, engaging with their inherited meanings and transforming them conceptually. This exhibition is an explosion of symbols, which move in and outside of the traditional gallery space.
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Antipasto & Ambiance - it’s all about the vibe
Noise pollution is a pervasive problem in Phnom Penh. The persistent whirring of motodop wheels, construction contraptions manipulating the skyline or a 4am Khmer wedding, mean that a quiet spot can be something of an elusive oasis.
So imagine a place where the maximum decibels generated are equal to the chatter of just 22 gently merry expats, seeking space, a lazy afternoon and a pre-dinner wine. You might expect this to be somewhere outside of the City. However, the sounds of Cafe del Mar and the lapping of the Mekong, giving the place its rhythmic pulse betray the fact that you are still within sight of Sisowath Quay.
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