A three-day arts festival – featuring film screenings, a still film photo exhibition, Khmer performing arts, a concert featuring Princess Norodom Jenna, a fashion show and even the announcement of a screenwriting competition winner – got underway this morning in Chroy Chngavar.
The Domner Khmer Art Festival was organised by a group of dedicated young Cambodians who have established an archive of Khmer movies and songs from the “Golden Era” of the 1960s and 70s.
The event features a variety of art forms to unite Khmer art lovers and connect the past, present, and future, enabling young Cambodians to better understand the history of modern art and culture in the Kingdom.
Virak Varany, who leads the Domner Khmer Group, told the Post that the festival is taking place at the Khemaray Building of the Union of Cambodian Youth Federations, in the capital’s Chroy Changvar district.
The festival, themed “The Soul of Khmer Music and Film”, aims to commemorate and present historical documents to the public, showcasing the greatness of Khmer film and music that once existed.
It seeks to bring the new generation of young people to the glorious past of the Khmer “Golden Age” before 1975, fostering knowledge and a love for national culture, and enhancing the relationship between old and current artists.
“We want to connect young people and artists with the public, especially to show our Khmer history, the socialist era and the era before 1975, to promote the legacy of works from the Golden Age,” explained Varany.
Two of the organisers stand in front of a wall covered with classic album covers from the 1960s and 70s. Supplied
“As an organiser, I am very happy because I am doing what I love. I have loved this job from the beginning and have always wanted to organise such a big event. This event is different from every other event we have staged because, in the past, we used to organise small events such as the first memorial Slapaka, which only brought together art lovers. This time, we are including a variety of arts,” he added.
The festival features a variety of activities, including screenings of five films from the 1960s and 1970s: Preah Chan Korop, Sovann Hang, Koukam Te Bong, Neang Sak Kra Ob and a documentary about the visit of Charles de Gaulle to Cambodia in 1966.
Additionally, there will be a musical performance titled “The Soul of Cinema”, a discussion forum on the theme of heritage and art, fashion shows and a nighttime concert featuring some of the classic hits of the Golden Era.
The winners of the Samdech Preah Mohessara Norodom Chakrapong screenwriting award will also be announced.
Varany explained that the goal of the Domner Khmer group is to focus on researching the arts of music and film, both of which share common roots in literature.
This led to the group establishing the award, in order to encourage young people to try their hand at creating unique stories and themes. The most profound of the pieces will be made into film, added the head of the group.
The group of dedicated youth researchers and archivists of Khmer movies and songs from the ‘Golden Era’ will run the festival over three days. Supplied
The festival is open to the public from 8.00am to 9.00pm, and all are welcome.
The programme was initiated by the Union of Cambodian Youth Federations and has the support of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the Ministry of Information. The Phnom Penh Post and its parent company, SR News, are proud to be media partners with the festival.
Varany urged the public, especially the youth, to attend the show and learn more about the rich culture of the period, as well as to support the legacy of the artists of the senior generations.
The Domner Khmer Group is made of 28 young people. It was established in February 2023 to research and archive Khmer film and music from the 1960s and 1970s.
The group has also studied culture, history and the Khmer royal family, and has produced documentaries and short fiction films, all in the form of text, audio and video.
