PRESS RELEASE
2nd Press Conference
3rd Cambodia National Short Film Festival 2022
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is organising the 3rd Cambodia National Short Film Festival 2022 (CNSFF 2022) from 16-20 December 2022, with the slogan: Short Films as a Stepping Stone to Feature Films.
The objective of the festival is to contribute to the development of the film sector in Cambodia by providing a platform for the youth to showcase their talent and to encourage them to develop their filmmaking capacities.
There are two main themes for CNSFF 2022:
- Culture / Society / Development: This theme will focus on stories about the cultural, societal and
developmental challenges facing Cambodia today. Stories that give insight into family life, community,
tradition and the changes brought about by modernity. - Relationships / Interactions / Connections: This theme will focus on stories about the desires, dreams and aspirations that people seek through their relationships and connections. Stories that give insight into the emotional, psychological and philosophical aspects of love and relationships in modern life.
All the short films entered into competition will have the chance to win awards in the following categories:
- Gold Award – Gold trophy and 12 million Riels cash, sponsored by Major Cineplex by Smart.
- Silver Award – Silver trophy and 8 million Riels cash, sponsored by Hanuman Beverages.
- Bronze Award – Bronze trophy and 4 million Riels cash, sponsored by Westec Media.
- Audience Choice Award – Trophy and a DSLR camera, sponsored by Ream Production.
- Special Jury Award – Trophy and 3 million Riels cash, sponsored by Legend Cinema.
- Best Screenplay Award – Trophy and 2 million Riels cash, sponsored by Trumulia Hotel.
- Rising Director Award – Trophy and 2 million Riels cash, sponsored by MediaLoad.
- Technical Excellence Award – Trophy and 2 million Riels cash, sponsored by Ream Production.
In preparation for the festival, a Film Lab was conducted by the Adviser of the Cinema and Cultural Diffusion
Department, Deependra Gauchan, focusing on three key areas: screenwriting, directing and cinematography. As a result of the Film Lab, four of the students, first-time filmmakers, produced and submitted their films to the competition.
The film entries to the festival will be judged in two stages:
- The Pre-Selection Jury, comprised of seven reputed film industry personalities, will review all the
entries and decide the winners of the Special Jury Award, Best Screenplay Award, Rising Director
Award and Technical Excellence Award. Besides these, the Pre-Selection Jury will select the Top Five
films which will be competing to win the top awards (Gold, Silver, Bronze). - The Final Jury, comprised of seven eminent film industry leaders, will select the winners of the Gold,
Silver and Bronze awards at the Closing ceremony on 20 December 2022 at Chaktomuk Conference
Hall.
In addition to the 35 fiction films in competition, 33 documentary short films will also be showcased at all the screening venues. These films were produced as part of a training programme by Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center. The programme for screening the films can be seen on the Cambodia National Short Film Festival facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=587510026714772&set=pcb.587514233381018) and the festival website (https://cnsff.cambodiafilm.info/).
The 35 selected entries and the 33 showcase documentaries will be screened at eight venues in Phnom Penh from 16-19 December 2022: Major Cineplex by Smart @ Aeon 1 and Aeon 2, Legend Cinema @ Eden Garden and Olympia mall, Prime Cinema @ Samai Square and Chomchao, Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center, and the French Institut. The screenings are free and the audience can vote for their favourites, which will determine the Audience Choice Award.
Besides the film screenings, there will be three important side events as key components of the festival. Two Seminars and one Pitching Session will be organised to bring together experts, related stakeholders and filmmakers, both veterans and newcomers, to discuss the pathway forward to develop filmmaking capacities and to contribute to the development of the film sector in Cambodia.
- Seminar 1, ‘How to take Cambodian films to the international market’, will be held on 17 December 2022, starting at 1.30pm at Chaktomuk Conference Hall. The panel comprising of senior Cambodian filmmakers will be led by eminent filmmaker Panh Rithy, winner of several international awards, including Cannes and Berlin. The Seminar is open to the public.
- Seminar 2, ‘How to make the short film industry thrive in Cambodia’, will be held on 18 December
2022, starting at 1.30pm at Chaktomuk Conference Hall. The panel will comprise of the leading
young short film makers in Cambodia who have won both national and international awards. The
Seminar is open to the public. - The Pitching Session will be held on 19 December 2022, starting at 4:00 pm at CineHub. This event is for young filmmakers, who have dreams of making their films, to access funding and production
support to make their dreams come true. For this, the filmmakers have to apply with the details of
their script and production plans and the Jury will select the Top 5 pitches for presentation on the
19th. The application form and details are available on https://cnsff.cambodiafilm.info/ or Facebook
page: https://www.facebook.com/cnsff.
We would like to thank the following sponsors and partners for their generous support to the 3rd Cambodia National Short Film Festival 2022:
- Main Sponsors
• Major Cineplex by Smart (Gold Sponsor)
• Hanuman Beverages (Silver Sponsor)
• Westec Media (Bronze Sponsor)
• Legend Cinema Ream Production Mediaload Trimulia Hotel
2. - Sponsors
• Sabay MVP Wonder Film LD Picture Sastra Films M Pictures - Co-Sponsors
• Angkor DC Black Spider Ek Phnom Cinema Bayon Bakery - Official Partners
• Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia for Culture and Fine Arts DMC PSE
• Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center Cambodia Film Commission (CFC) CineHub - Venue Partners
• Prime Cineplex RoseWood Phnom Penh French Institut - Technical Partner
• Kongchak Pictures - Official Media Partners
• EAC News Sabay Entertainment
