(Art Theatre mandate: Guests must show proof of vaccination OR proof of a negative test result within 72 hours. Masks are required inside the theatre. Kids under 12 can enter with masks.)

CTFF Filmmaker’s Welcome Reception

Invite Only, Private Event

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25^TH 2021

(Art Theatre mandate: Guests must show proof of vaccination OR proof of a negative test result within 72 hours. Masks are required inside the theatre. Kids under 12 can enter with masks.)

Festival Opening Ceremony & Film Screening: Cirque Du Cambodia - 1:00 PM 
Cirque Du Cambodia follows the journey of two young men to live out every child's fantasy--to run away and join the circus. But it isn't just any circus they hope to join. They dream of taking the stage with Cirque Du Soleil. Watch CIRQUE DU CAMBODIA Trailer!

Q&A with Filmmakers to follow - Event co-hosted by United Cambodian Community

Short Film Corner: 4:00 PM
With Filmmaker’s Q&A to Follow

Sandflower (18 mins)
Nakry, a young Cambodian woman, quits her hotel job in Phnom Penh to support her father who is in a precarious situation in their small hometown. Unable to find solutions for how to improve their daily lives, how far will she be willing to go to get by? Sandflower is the uncompromising portrait of a Cambodian family.

Directed by: Chamrouen Phun and Sreyoun Hak

A Fire That Never Dies (8 mins)
A young man becomes infatuated with his upstairs neighbor after believing that his late mother has sent him.

Directed by: Chheangkea

California Dreaming (15 mins)
Two women from different backgrounds encounter one another at an oceanfront resort and discover a hidden bond that ties them together, allowing them to escape from their realities.

Directed by: Sreylin Meas

Grey Feather (20 mins)
An exploration of the love and struggle of two young people, Sarita, a Cambodian, and Sam, an Australian, as they settle into what it means to be in an interracial relationship.

Directed by: Sophea Kim

The Hunt: Savage Within (20 mins)
A park ranger must face her fears as she becomes embroiled in a fight against an otherworldly threat.

Directed by: Fabien Garcia

Coalesce (Feature Narrative) (82 mins) - 7:00 PM
Phnom Penh nowadays. Three young people, three perspectives, three routes. Songsa, an introverted teenager, is sent to the capital by his family to sell clothes in a tuk-tuk. Phearum goes into debt to buy a taxi and confronts the unexpected. Thy dives into the nightlife and dreams of joining a biker crew. Three ways of living, three destinies, three looks. Coalesce draws a portrait of youth who face a fast-changing world.  Watch COALESCE Trailer!

Written and Directed by: Jessé Miceli


SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26^TH 2021

(Art Theatre mandate: Guests must show proof of vaccination OR proof of a negative test result within 72 hours. Masks are required inside the theatre. Kids under 12 can enter with masks.)

Short Documentary Corner: 12:00 PM
Free Screening with Pre-Ordered Tickets. With Filmmaker's Q&A to Follow

Keep Saray Home (30 mins)
ICE doesn't just separate families at the border. On the outskirts of Boston, three families face the impending threat of deportation. But as refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam, they know they'll have to fight together to stay together.

Directed by: Brian Redondo

My Home (29 mins)
In My Home (produced by Sopheana Choun, Choulay Mech, Sopheak Yam, Sochetra Mean, Pisen Chhean), the story of a mahout, Chheol Thouk, is used to highlight the impact of deforestation on Bunong communities and elephants.

Dull Trail (12 mins)
In Dull Trail (produced by Ricky David Choey, Mono Peou, Raksa Khon), the story of Mae Nang the elephant is documented. Blind in one eye and traumatized from years of war and American bombs, Mae Nang learns to accept the love of her mahout, Da Chroed. The film draws attention to Mae Nang’s trauma, and the effects of Cambodia’s experiences of conflict on the other-than-human world.

Memories (15 mins)
In Memories (produced by Sonan Sous, Sreytoch Sat, Theang Paov), issues of gender and cultural change are explored. Although Bunong cultural practice has tended not to confer the role of mahout (an elephant caretaker) to women, Preng Chanthy strives to maintain the traditions of her indigenous community.

Shadow Puppet (5 mins)
Khmer shadow theatre is a form of shadow play in which leather shadow puppets are used. Sorn Soran, a Cambodian shadow puppet maker and performer explains why he became interested in this ancient art form.

Film By: Phally Ngoeum & Chanrado Sok

The Mask (4 mins)
Sup Sakara is a mask maker for Cambodian masked theaters. Explores mask making and its origins.

Film By: Phally Ngoeum & Chandara Sok

Spirit of Bokator (6 mins)
The legacy of bokator (a Cambodian traditional martial art) is on the edge of being forgotten. Martial-arts Master San Kim Sean delivers a wise message reflecting bokator in the modern generation of Cambodia.

Film By: Phally Ngoeum & Chanrado Sok

Cham Community of Santa Ana (7 mins)
The Islamic Center of Santa Ana (ICSA) was established by a dozen Cham Muslim families who escaped from war-ravaged Vietnam, Laos and the killing fields of Cambodia in search of new lives and religious freedom.

Film by: Robert Carleton-Chhaing

Father (Feature Narrative) (110 mins) - 4 PM
A cyclo driver struggles with fatherhood and life inside the bustling city of Phnom Penh. Watch FATHER Trailer!

Directed and Produced by: Huy Yaleng

Raya and the Last Dragon (Feature Animation) (117 mins) - 6:00 PM
In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon. Watch RAYA Trailer!

Directors: Carlos Lopez, Don Hall 

Free Screening with Pre-Ordered Tickets. Co-Hosted by Khmer Alumni Association. With Q&A and Special Guests!!!

A special thanks to Walt Disney Animation Studios for helping to make this screening possible

Closing Mixer @ Art Theatre of Long Beach: 8:30 PM

(Art Theatre mandate: Guests must show proof of vaccination OR proof of a negative test result within 72 hours. Masks are required inside the theatre. Kids under 12 can enter with masks.)

Voices of a New Generation: Cambodian Americans in the Creative Arts

Free Event with Pre-Ordered Tickets.

15 artists. 15 stories.

One shared history.

Join us as we celebrate and introduce the newly released book by Dr. Christine Su, highlighting the important works of Cambodian Americans in the creative arts. Several artists featured in the book will be present to answer questions. Book signing to follow.

For More Information on Cambodia Town Film Festival!