the Canadia Tower will soon host the country's first Film Camp event.
The small Tonle Bassac-based outfit Kon Khmer Koun Khmer – or
Cambodian Films, Cambodian Generations – has been preparing for the
introduction of the Film Camp concept in Cambodia after its successful
reception in Laos and Singapore.
Participants in the March 24 event will be given a one-day crash
course in screenwriting, operating a 16mm camera, sound recording and
editing, along with the opportunity to meet and work with other
potential aspiring filmmakers. Chan Soratha, a member of 4K and Film
Camp Cambodia's project manager, said the free and multilingual event
hoped to attract a diverse set of applicants.
"Film Camp is targeted towards everyone who loves film. So we are open
to everyone: they can be high school or university students or from
another place in life."
Chan Soratha said the event was ideal for people showing an interest
in film who have no budget or ability to produce something of their
own accord. Chan Soratha is hoping that the amount of work 4K have
done establishing Film Camp will be met with a strong interest from
Phnom Penh's potential auteurs.
"We started organising Film Camp in October of last year, which meant
contact with universities, contact with potential sponsors, and
finding people to help with its organisation," he said.
"It is something new for this country, so just to organise this
one-day event, we needed to speak to many different people, to find
sponsors, and to organise audience participation. The film industry in
Cambodia is not very strong at the moment, so for us, it has been
quite challenging to attract the audience and bring people together."
4K is devoting the next month to appearances at schools and
universities to find Film Camp recruits. To tempt participants, the
group has organised some impressive guest speakers, including renowned
actress Dy Saveth, a star of Khmer cinema's golden age in the 1960s
and '70s who has returned to the silver screen in recent years.
Recruiting Dy Saveth was quite the coup, with the actress taking time
off her busy schedule between an appearance at the Berlin Film
Festival and acting duties. 4K were fortunate to benefit from a long
history of collaboration with the star.
"We have been working with her for a long time," says Chan Soratha of
the collaboration. "Since 2008 in fact. We organised an exhibition
that collected Cambodian films from the 1960s and '70s, which we
showcased alongside promotional posters and stars of the films."
Film Camp will also feature guest lectures from German filmmakers Ingo
Hoffmann, who will demonstrate the use of Steadicam equipment, and
Peter Ristau, who will instruct participants in the use of editing and
production software.
Film Camp Cambodia will take place on Friday, March 24th at the
Canadia Tower in Phnom Penh.
The event is free but advance registration is required at the Film
Camp website:
www.filmcampkh.org
Sean Gleeson
Thursday, 01 March 2012
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012030154785/Lifestyle/film-camp-seeks-to-spark-renaissance.html
