CIFF 360 & KEP : At Knai Bang Chatt, A Collective Manifesto for Cambodian Cinema

Reunited within the CIFF 360 at the Knai Bang Chatt hotel in Kep, more than thirty professionals from Cambodian cinema spoke frankly about the structures to build, the rights to win, and the stories to invent.

It was in the exceptional setting of Knai Bang Chatt that CIFF 360 held one of its most intense moments. Directors, producers, screenwriters, composers and cultural policy analysts — more than thirty professionals — filled a whiteboard until it was entirely covered with words, questions and arrows. What emerged looks less like a simple assessment than a collective manifesto: Cambodian cinema wants to exist fully, structurally, economically.

A legal and professional framework to invent

The first urgent issue identified: the complete absence of labor law adapted to the film industry. Sovichea Cheap, a freelance production manager accustomed to international shoots, pointed to this legal void that undermines contracts, statuses and employment conditions across the sector. What does a fair wage look like on a Cambodian shoot? The question, left open, illustrates the need for greater maturity in existing structures.In this context, the creation of an Association of Cambodian Filmmakers emerged as a foundational step. Sophea Kim, screenwriter and independent director, strongly advocated this idea: such a structure would allow pooling resources, negotiating collectively, and properly representing the profession to institutions.

“Should we level the playing field?” — Sidney Ken, independent director

Jobs, pay and profit-sharing

Economic questions dominated the discussion. Many voices — including the teams from Tiny Films (Thanet Thorn, Aric Chai, Phuong Khemara, Sochetra Lim) and producers like Makara Ouch or Chandara So — stressed the need to create real paid jobs in the sector: stable positions, not only informal or volunteer collaborations.The idea of “profit sharing,” splitting profits to involve artists in a film’s success beyond a single fee, was proposed as a concrete way to better value their contribution.

Data as a compass: mapping the ecosystem

In the literal center of the whiteboard, one word kept coming up as a leitmotif: DATA. Solinn Lim, analyst in creative industries policy at Saddhā Enterprise, insisted with Akira Morita — facilitator and director — on the need to collect reliable data: hours worked, incomes, financial flows, audience.Without rigorous measurement of this ecosystem, it is impossible to guide public or private decisions. The “realities of filmmakers,” too often invisible, prevent any coherent policy. Knowing in order to act: that is the prerequisite.

A fund for young filmmakers

Seng Thy, director and producer at Kravan Pictures, and Phichith Rithea of DancingRains argued for creating a Film Fund dedicated to young filmmakers — a financing mechanism enabling a new generation of authors to move into directing without relying solely on foreign co-productions. Challenges in developing production were also discussed: scripts, budgets, logistics — a whole chain that remains fragile.The question of short films — sometimes seen merely as stepping stones — prompted a discussion about their intrinsic value. Sophea Kim defended their central role in training filmmakers and building a culture of artistic risk.

Education, training and cultural soft power

Nicolas Thevenet, producer and workshop organizer at Kongchak Pictures, and Sopheap Chea, director of the Bophana Center, placed education at the top of their priorities: creating a true film school in Cambodia is a structural necessity.Training technicians, screenwriters and directors builds for the long term. Cinema is also seen as a vector of soft power: the image Cambodia projects internationally is also conveyed through its films.Steven Gargadennec, associate producer at 802 Films and a member of Cicada’s board, raised the possible synergy between music and cinema — Pavel Lipski, the composer present at the forum, embodied that creative bridge. A collaboration still largely untapped, but full of promise.

Audience, identity and the international market

A simple question, written directly on the board: “What is a Cambodian film?” — beyond tragedy, beyond expected narratives. Somchanrith Chap, Julia Sam and Dean Marcial, independent directors, questioned the notion of local taste and its relation to the international market.

How to develop a national audience while addressing the world? How to tell Cambodian stories without limiting them to the codes prized by foreign festivals?

Daniel Vong, operator of Legend Cinema, and Chy Sila, owner of Sabay Cinema, offered the perspective of distribution and exhibition: audience development is inseparable from an offer of accessible cinemas and programming that speaks to Cambodians today. The issue of young audiences — sketched on the board by a simple “kids?” — points to a blind spot: media literacy and building a film culture from childhood remain whole projects.

A community that refuses the status quo

Leaving this seaside forum, the portrait that emerges is one of an industry at a decisive crossroads. The obstacles are real — lack of legal framework, lack of data, an economy largely informal, insufficient training — but the vitality and candor of the exchanges testify to a community that does not give up.

Carried collectively by more than thirty voices from every corner of the sector, these proposals could well outline the contours of a renewed Cambodian cinema: fairer in its structures, bolder in its stories, more present on the world stage.