Unveiling 4 Weeks: FONKi's Abstract Ode to Life and Khmer Roots for CIFF 2026

We are proud to unveil the official and original poster for the Cambodia International Film Festival - Festival International du Film au Cambodge 2026: a masterful work signed by FONKi, titled 4 Weeks. Created in acrylic on canvas in 2019, this painting marks the launch of a bold series where the artist breaks free from his usual figuration to plunge into pure abstraction.

Conceived at dawn, just after the first echo of a child to be born—a tiny black void at four weeks of pregnancy—it transmutes sleepless excitement into a simple, hypnotic abstract whirlwind.

This circular vortex embodies the mystery of life's beginnings, a positive horizon that opens like a black-and-white film opening sequence. At the heart of this spiral, stylized and serene eyes emerge subtly, evoking ancient Khmer royal iconography. Rendered anonymous, these graffitied pupils pay homage to FONKi's street art roots, when he once claimed mastery over urban spaces. These eyes act as a discreet protective ritual, fusing the ambition born from the streets with humble and compassionate guardianship.

They confer a calm dignity upon the child in the making, distilling intimate wonder into a meditative homage: an invisible origin watched over by timeless benevolence and unshakeable resilience.

The perfect ambassador for the Cambodia International Film Festival, this poster resonates with the CIFF's mission: to promote peace and intercultural dialogue through the lens of cinema. In a world where images move and tell stories, 4 Weeks freezes a suspended moment, inviting contemplation of hope and renewal—themes dear to the screenings that will illuminate Phnom Penh in 2026. Like a contemplative long take, it immerses us in the invisible, where the deepest human stories are born.

Portrait of FONKi, the alchemist of walls and souls

Born in 1990 in Paris to Khmer parents who fled the genocide, FONKi grew up in Montreal and dove into graffiti at 15, in 2005. A rising figure on the street art scene, he adorns murals across North America, Europe, and Asia. His return to Cambodia in 2012, immortalized in the award-winning documentary The Roots Remain (which he co-produced and stars in, premiered at CIFF), marks a decisive break. He invents "Kbach graffiti," hybridizing the contemporary energy of the streets with Angkor Wat's ancestral Khmer motifs to resurrect a cultural heritage ravaged by History.

Settled in Phnom Penh since 2017, he co-founds and directs the FT Gallery at Factory Phnom Penh, the epicenter of contemporary urban art in Cambodia. He also launches the Murals for Cambodia Festival, mentoring the young artistic guard and propelling the capital into a creative hub of Southeast Asia. His vibrant works probe identity, resilience, healing, and shared humanity, weaving diasporic roots into the Khmer present. Celebrated in The New York Times, CBC Arts, or at World Expos, FONKi embodies a cultural ambassador, catalyst for an artistic renaissance where street art dialogues with the silver screen.