Phnom Penh

Win tickets for the premiere in Cambodia- December 19th

Only two more days and the movie is going to be shown to the Cambodian crew for the first time. The premiere will take place at Cine Lux in Phnom Penh.
The actors, director and producer will also be there.
All travellers, blogreaders, fans and Cambodians- YOU can win two tickets!
Just send a short mail to editor@samesameblog.tv and let us know your name and your contact details.

Of course we are going to publish some pictures within the next week!

Opening of Golden Reawakening Part 2: Exhibition of photos and drawings of the movie theatres in Phnom Penh

For everybody who is in Cambodia- Do not miss this: Tonight is the opening of an exhibition of photos and drawings of the movie theatres in Phnom Penh in the 70s.

Place: At Sasa Gallery (7 Street 360), November 6th-18th 2009

In 1975, there were at least 30 movie theatres in Phnom Penh. Today, just one of them still shows films: Lux Theatre. The photographer group “Stiev Selapak” (Rebel Arts) has photographed the places where those movie theatres were located at that time.
Because many photos of the 70’s movie theatres are not available,the Kon Khmer Kon Khmer worked with a group of artists to create drawings of several movie theatres based on the meticulous description of one remarkable witness of that era, Mr. Chour Sokhen.

Here you can check all upcoming events of Kon Khmer Kon Khmer: http://konkhmerkounkhmer.blogspot.com/

For a new flourishing film industry- Opening of the Cambodian Film Commission

The opening of the Cambodian Film Commission (CFC) last week was a true gala, with film stars mixing with ministers, ambassadors and filmmakers.
The CFC aim is to make filming in Cambodia as straight-forward process as possible. The Cambodia Film Commission is a non-profit organization dedicated to the film professionals . "The CFC will help build the film infrastructure necessary for the industry to flourish", said Eloy the CFC project manager. The first aim of the CFC is to train highly professional film crews to international industry standards."Secondly, it will attract foreign film crews to Cambodia, hosting them and helping them find the right people to set up their project," he said. The third goal is to help authorities facilitate the shooting and involve all the relevant ministries.
Ministry of Fine Arts and Culture Secretary of State Chuch Phoeurn said the CFC had been set up to attract more filmmakers, both local and international, to invest in film in Cambodia."We made the film commission to prevent problems happening in our film sector," he said.

Inauguration by Him Chhem, Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia with Rithy Panh on the right side

Display of "Same Same but Different" pictures in the exhibition

Cambodian families living with HIV and AIDS forcibly evicted- ACT NOW!

Around 32 families living with HIV and AIDS were forcibly evicted from their homes in Borei Keila on 18 June 2009. The evictions from the Borei Keila community came after several months of strong protests by the families, who complained that they would be without basic services, have no means of income and lose access to medical treatment at the new location. Officials say they evicted the families because they had illegally settled on state land where the government now wants to build new offices for the Ministry of Tourism.
The housing at the new site at Tuol Sambo, 20 kilometers from Phnom Penh, is made from distinct green metal sheets, and local residents call it the “AIDS Village.”
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