CAMBOFEST: Film and Video Festival of Cambodia * Year 4 * (with Media Center/Venue component)
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Images
Image from CAMBOFEST 2009 Edition
Document
CamboFest 2009 Schedule & Program
Topics:
Target Audience:
Asian Americans, college students, communication practicioners, community groups, Community Video, Documentarians / Storytellers, educators, engaged artists and non-profits, festivals & events, filmmakers, government agencies, historians, immigrant groups, philanthropic community, Public school students, researchers, schools
Geographic Area:
Budget
Raised to date: $ 5,000.00
Estimate to complete: $ 45,000.00
Total Estimated Budget: $ 50,000.00
The budget numbers above are accurate as of 03/01/2011
Key Personnel
Jason Rosette
Founder, co-director
Jason Rosette is a media producer and consultant who has been living and working in Cambodia for the past 5 + years. He has a BFA in Fiilm & TV from New York University, and an MA (Masters in Development Studies) from the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
He continues to live and work in Cambodia on a variety of ongoing projects, including Cambodia's first internationally recognized indpendent film and video festival, CAMBOFEST.
Phun Sokunthearith
Festival coordinator & co-producer
Mr. Phun Sokunthearith ~ Coordinator & Co-producer ("Mr. Tol") started assisting CamboFest in 2007 as a screener coordinator and associate producer. Due to his fluency in English, I had approached him initially to assist with live Khmer lanugage narrations of selected movies--which is the prevailing style here in Cambodia, versus subtitling, due to literacy issues.
Mr. Tol is currently in charge of viewing short form movie submissions, and he is currently onboard as an associate producer and possibly co-director for the 2010-11 CamboFest.
One of our fundraising goals is to raise the money for a regular salary for all CamboFest staff, versus having them work on a freelance/contract basis.
Loak Gon
Facilitator
Loak Gon
Loak Gon is the owner of the once-majestic 'Royal' cinema in Kampot, Cambodia, on Cambodia's South Coast - the key venue for CamboFest 2009 Edition.
Gon was battalion leader with the Cambodian Republican Army fighting the Khmer Rouge (and NVA/VC) forces in the early 70's. After the capitulation of the Republican army to the KR, the 'Royal' fell into disrepair, and Gon worked on a labor camp in Battambang.
Following the liberation of Cambodia to intervening Vietnamese forces, Gon returned to Kampot and took over the old 'Royal' cinema house and, per the government's encouragement, operated the theater again from 1985-1989, when dwindling audience numbers (due to the VCR) caused the Royal to be shuttered.
The 'Royal' was re-opened again for CamboFest 2009 edition, after having been unused as an active cinema for 20 years.
CamboFest 2010-2011 edition will once again take place at the 'Royal' along with other local and rural venues in Kampot and Kep.
[See pictures of the 'Royal' on the CamboFest blog with his soupped-up mobile megaphone moto, used as a grass-roots PR device]
Funders
| Name | Amount | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Contributors | $ 4,500.00 |
Short Synopsis
CAMBOFEST is Cambodia's first internationally recognized independent movie festival, currently entering its 4th year.
We are currently seeking, aside from normal annual event-oriented festival operations, a year-round media center which can serve as the home for CamboFest in the offseason and as a location for special screenings, lectures, and workshops.
Description/Treatment
In 2007 Camerado, launched Cambodia's first independent film festival, CAMBOFEST: Film and Video Festival of Cambodia--see www.cambofest.com for more information.
As an independent effort in an emerging democracy, CamboFest continues to be an essential venue for independent media in a part of the developing world where truly independent media forums are still not common. The linkages between independent media and a viable civil society are well established, and CamboFest is happy to be a part of this in Cambodia.
CamboFest is not an NGO or part of any local or international government agency or program. To date we have launched and moved forward as a 100% grass roots independent effort, with minimal government or donor oversight.
Over 200 international and local filmmakers have eagerly submitted and shown their work to entirely new audiences (some of whom have never seen a documentary, for instance). Cross-cultural understandings have been greatly enhanced, and a new generation of film and media makers have been turned on to the possibilities of sharing stories and ideas through film and video.
Now entering our 4th year, CamboFest stands alone as the only regular independent film festivals in Cambodia and one of the few in all of Southeast Asia which is 100% IP-friendly as well.
In a country with a 95% piracy rate, CamboFest seeks and secure all permissions to screen films, from every single filmmaker.
CamboFest is striving to create a bona fide independent film festival in a nation which is still rebuilding itself from years of civil war and oppression under the Khmer Rouge regime. In many ways, though, we're starting from scratch: the film culture and other arts in Cambodia were completely destroyed, with most students and trained professionals fleeing the country or being killed off.
As part of a goal concurrent with our 4th edition, we are seeking to secure a dedicated, year-round venue. This permanent venue will serve as:
- a multipurpose screening room
- administrative center
- media arts center with lecture, instruction, workshop, & meeting capability
- production facility
We anticipate leasing a CamboFest year-round venue starting in our initial (this year), while gradually rolling out plans in the next 3-5 years for a permanent purchased location.
We're also seeking to improve the infrastructure of the festival component. To date, equipment has been utilized from a variety of ad-hoc sources and loans, which has impacted production quality of events.
We are therefore seeking, in this current 4th year, to improve our festival exhibition component as follows:
-
improved AV system and generators
- high-impact portable screen systems
-
multi-format, high-lumens HD capable projection system
-
basic safety additions to older/vintage venues including the old 'Royal' theater (lighting for the stairs and entrance, and a more 'inviting' and modern public restroom are)
- dedicated exhibition workstation with mixing inputs and mics for live narrations
Once again his year we're happy to announce that we have the 501 (c) 3 fiscal sponsorship of Media Alliance (www.media-alliance.org).
We hope that this will make our project more attractive to US based donors and funders, while we continue to cherish the support of all our non-US and local in-kind and financial contributors.
[See pix and some video from the 2009 Edition of CamboFest at http://cambofest.blogspot.com/]