Chakto en fête: A dazzling festival of young Cambodian talent lights up the French Institute in October 2025
- Editorial team
- Sep 25
- 3 min read
On Friday 3 October 2025, from 5pm to 10pm, the Institut français du Cambodge will come alive to celebrate the creativity and vitality of young Cambodian artists with an exceptional evening full of discoveries and emotions.
The event, entitled Chakto en fête, will showcase over sixty talented artists who, over the course of an entire year, will have benefited from exceptional mentoring from emblematic figures on the French art scene.
From 5pm, the public will be welcomed for a free visit to the heart of this cultural showcase, where all areas of the Institut will open up to reveal a truly multidisciplinary festival. The programme will include daring short films, innovative comic strips, enchanting audio tales, original dance performances and vibrant concerts to set the pace for this unique evening.
From 5.20pm to 5.40pm, the square in front of the Médiathèque will host an immersive exhibition dedicated to Khmer-language comics, presented by Sipar and Avatar Publishing. Visitors will get a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, from storyboarding to inking, as they meet the young artists behind six original projects, including A Sbov, Ginger, The Spirit House, A Battambang Childhood, Pagoda Resident and A Techie Family. The latter work, already published by Avatar Publishing, will be on sale at the exhibition.
Between 5.45pm and 6.10pm, the Médiathèque will be offering a plunge into sound with Chakto Son, inspired by traditional Khmer tales revisited and re-recorded by Kongchak Studio. These audiovisual tales, which reflect the richness of Cambodia's heritage, will be available with French and English subtitles, making them accessible to all.
The evening will continue at the Institut's cinema with the presentation of five original short film projects by committed young directors. These creators will also share their artistic approach, accompanied by the young composers who imagined the music for their films, giving life to works that are as personal as they are intense.
From 7.20pm to 7.50pm, Cambodian Living Arts will be presenting an original collaboration between hip-hop and contemporary dance, combining urban energy and poetic expression in a reflection on time and the values we cherish.
The musical programme resumes at 8pm with the musical creation workshop led by Anne Paceo, where Ash and Panha will be mixing traditional Cambodian instruments with contemporary sounds, creating a surprising and warm mix.
The evening will conclude in style with a concert by Zélie, a young Franco-Cambodian singer-songwriter, whose vibrant universe will blend pop, rock, rap and disco, for a captivating performance that will leave a lasting impression.
The Chakto programme, financed by the Fonds Équipe France Création of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to strengthen the skills of young Cambodian talent in four major artistic disciplines: comics, film, music and dance. Supported by the French Embassy in Cambodia and the French Institute of Cambodia, this collaborative project brings together major cultural players such as Sipar, Avatar Publishing, Anti-Archive, Kongchak Studio and Cambodian Living Arts, to provide these up-and-coming artists with the tools they need to develop and promote their creations.
The evening promises to be a veritable festival of young Cambodian creativity, revealing the new voices and fresh perspectives that are shaping the country's cultural landscape. It's a not-to-be-missed event for all art and culture lovers looking to immerse themselves in a vibrant and inspiring artistic dynamic.
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