The 8th Annual Cambodia Town Film Festival to be Streaming Virtually Sept 16-20, 2020
The 8th Annual Cambodia Town Film Festival to be Streaming Virtually Sept 16-20, 2020
By Soben Pin | Facebook/Twitter @SobenPin
Long Beach, CA — In the middle of Covid-19, theaters have been closed. The film and entertainment industry has suffered since the declaration of a state of emergency in March 2020. There hasn’t been any movie released since the pandemic hit, however, the Cambodia Town Film Festival has found a way to bring Cambodian films to people’s home, globally. The 8th Annual CTFF is scheduled to be held virtually on September 16-20, 2020. There are over 40 selected Cambodian films available to watch for free. They range from documentaries, to movies, to short films. For the past 13 years that I have been in the newspaper business, I have not come across any organization that have been able to pull together so many Cambodian films to one place at one time. This is an extraordinary work.
Prach Ly and Caylee So, Long Beach residents, established the CTFF in 2012 with a mission to to highlight the diversity of the Cambodian experience through the art of filmmaking. On their website which says “By especially featuring films that deal with Cambodian social political conflicts, traditions, challenges and characters, the Festival will deepen Cambodian values and encourage new dialogue on a global scale.”
Their commitment to bringing the diverse of Khmer films to America has achieved much success. Last year, they premiered the show “First They Killed My Father” — a Netflix original produced by Angelina Jolie that was based on the memoir of Author Loung Ung. Some of the films that were screened in the past included the Killing Field and Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten.
“We have kids and grand parents that are showed up and experience a movie in a theatre together for the first time, and having them leave and talking about what happened before the killing field, how they lived during the killing field, and and what left are they still trying to deal with now. Seeing that we know we’re doing something right,” said.PraCh in an interview with Khmer Post USA.
This year, the CTFF will premier previous films and a new selection of films, both will shown virtually. Some of the films will be eye-opening to viewers including the Cambodian Spring, A River Change Course, and I AM VUTHY etc. The documentaries that raise the awareness of Cambodian environmental issues.
CTFF co-founder Caylee So also produced a movie called “A Life of Music” — which has been selected to represent Cambodia at the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Award.
To view the listing of films, go to: https://cambodiatownfilmfestival.eventive.org/films and click each film you want to see, each has a description, which country it was produced in, and then you can register to watch. The capacity for each film is limited, so viewers are encouraged to register in advance in order to secure your spot. It is like a theatre with limited seatings, but you watch from your home.
The program also has a kick off concert on Wednesday 9/16. Many talented artists and singers will perform “virtually”, it will be live from the Cambodia Town Film Festival facebook’s page and there will be Q & A session available for the audience after the virtual screenings. Viewers are encourage to look into the schedule lineup and check for guests who will be available to chat during the 5 days of film screening festival. In our opinion, this is the best virtual film screening all around during the middle of a pandemic while many other film festivals are closed. It shows the resiliency and strength of the Cambodian Americans, having survived the notorious Khmer Rouge regime. Khmer Post USA commends their hard work, creativity, and ability to collaborate successfully for this event during this unprecedented time. So, go to their website: www.cambodiatownfilmfestival.com, register, watch, engage, and donate.
