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The City, The Sea, The Night: Short Films from Cambodia

Cambodia | 78' | Colour | DCP

Subtitle:

English

Theatre:

M+ Cinema

Capturing contemporary realities, vivid dream states, and disquieting recollections in equal measure, the four short films in this selection feature some of the latest work by Cambodian filmmakers Danech San, Boren Chhith, and Polen Ly. Part of an emerging generation of young people who took up filmmaking after training in another discipline, they demonstrate an acute sensitivity to notions of home, trauma, history, and indigeneity in their cinematic vignettes while experimenting with a range of narrative expressions. These critically acclaimed and award-winning films are a continuing testament to the brilliant lineage of filmmakers cultivated by Anti-Archive, a Cambodian film production company with a decade-long mission to support the creation of fiction and documentary films by young independent filmmakers.

15 Sep 2024 | 14:30 Closed

With Post-Screening Talk 21 Sep 2024 | 17:00 Closed

The City, The Sea, The Night: Short Films from Cambodia

BIOGRAPHY

Director | Danech San, Boren Chhith, Polen Ly

Danech San (b. 1991, Cambodia) originally studied interior design before she started working in film production with Anti-Archive on feature-length films such as Diamond Island (2016) and Last Night I Saw You Smiling (2019). San has directed two award-winning short films, A Million Years (2018) and Sunrise In My Mind (2020), and is the founder of the Kampung Film Festival in Cambodia. An alumnus of the Locarno Filmmakers Academy and the SEAFIC Seed Lab, San is a 2024 Resident of the Cinéma de Demain scheme at the Cannes Film Festival.

Boren Chhith (b. 1989, Cambodia) is a filmmaker based in France. Originally trained in theatre and circus arts, Chhith was an actor at the Théâtre du Soleil before venturing into acting and the French film industry where he has worked on several award-winning films such as Anatomy of a Fall (2023) and Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle (2021). Golden Dragon (2023) is his first film as writer and director.

Polen Ly (b. 1989, Cambodia) is a director and documentary filmmaker. Since 2012, Ly has paused his medical studies to pursue filmmaking and has since directed several shorts and documentaries, including Red Ink (2016), Candlelight (2020), and Side by Side (2021). Ly’s works focus on the relationship between human and nature, as well as social issues, and indigenous rights. He participated in the International Writing Residency at the University of Iowa in 2015 and the Asian Film Academy in 2018.

Special thanks to M+ Cinema for the information.