Cambodia Tourism Board and Chaktomuk Short Film Festival join forces to take Khmer cinema abroad

A matching grant agreement, signed on August 21 in Phnom Penh, is set to give the Chaktomuk Short Film Festival a bigger footprint beyond Cambodia's borders — and turn cinema into a new lever for cultural tourism.

H.E. Kim Minea, CEO of the Cambodia Tourism Board, and Mr. Sum Sithen, Festival Director of the Chaktomuk Short Film Festival, at the signing of the matching grant agreement, August 21, 2026, in Phnom Penh. © Cambodia Tourism Board

The Cambodia Tourism Board (CTB) and the Chaktomuk Short Film Festival (CSFF) officially signed a Matching Grant Agreement on August 21, under CTB's Overseas Promotion of Local Events initiative. The partnership marks a significant step in efforts to raise the international visibility of Cambodia's creative, cultural and film industries.

The signing ceremony, held at CTB headquarters in Phnom Penh, brought together leadership from both organisations alongside industry figures and invited guests. The programme included official remarks, the formal signing of the agreement, and a special screening of award-winning short films from the 2025 edition of CSFF, from Cambodia and China.

Under the agreement, CTB will support CSFF's international media outreach and public relations campaign, with the aim of expanding the festival's regional reach — positioning Cambodia not only as a hub for creative storytelling, but also as a destination for cultural tourism in its own right.

Cinema as a new driver of Cambodia's image abroad

“Film tourism is one of CTB's key B2C strategic priorities, as films have the power to inspire travel and showcase the beauty of destinations to global audiences in a compelling way,” said H.E. Kim Minea, CEO of the Cambodia Tourism Board. He noted that CTB has already backed film training and mentoring initiatives such as KARRE MOUY and Cambodia Film Lab, coordinated international productions in Cambodia through its Film Location Scouting Programme, and supported Cambodian filmmakers' participation in international film markets such as Hong Kong FILMART.

He said CSFF's week-long programme of screenings across Phnom Penh has the potential to become a regional platform for creative exchange, drawing film enthusiasts and travellers alike, and can further spotlight the capital's emergence as a rising creative city — recently highlighted by the BBC, which named Phnom Penh among its top 20 destinations to visit in 2026. “Through the Matching Grant Program, we are co-investing with the Festival to strengthen its overseas marketing and elevate Cambodia's global image, while inspiring travellers and film enthusiasts to explore our rich culture, diverse nature, and vibrant urban life all year round,” he added.

Mr. Sum Sithen, Festival Director of CSFF, described the partnership as marking “a pivotal transition from a locally celebrated festival into an internationally connected cultural platform.” “International marketing enables us to showcase Cambodia's rising filmmakers to broader audiences whilst inviting regional filmmakers and cinema lovers to explore our country. We are deeply grateful to CTB for recognizing the economic and tourism potential of annual creative events like CSFF,” he said.

15th CSFF edition: highlights and a provincial tour

The 15th edition of CSFF kicks off its international outreach this August. The main festival will run in Phnom Penh over four consecutive days, from October 30 to November 2, 2026, with curated short film screenings across multiple venues in the capital, closing with an awards ceremony honouring categories including Best Local Short Film, Best International Short Film and Best Local Student Short Film.

The festival will then extend its 15th edition with a provincial tour to Battambang, Siem Reap and Kep between November and December 2026, closing out the season while promoting the three provinces as top-tier tourist destinations.

A festival backed by a wide network of partners

This 15th edition of the Chaktomuk Short Film Festival is supported by a broad range of national and international partners, including the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, New Zealand's Show Me Shorts Film Festival, the French Institute of Cambodia, Cambodian Living Arts, and a number of universities, technical suppliers and hospitality partners.

Organised annually since 2012 by the Sunflower Film Alliance (SFA), an independent collective of young filmmakers aged 15 to 40 operating under the registered non-profit Sunflower Film Organization (established March 2019), CSFF is part of a broader effort to build a resilient film ecosystem in Cambodia — through technical training, provincial creative networks, and sustainable models for young filmmakers.

More information at www.csff.co and on the festival's social media channels (Facebook, Telegram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn: @csff.co / CSFF.co).