Capturing contemporary realities, vivid dream states, and disquieting recollections in equal measure, the four short films in this selection feature some of the latest work by Cambodian filmmakers Danech San, Boren Chhith, and Polen Ly. Part of an emerging generation of young people who took up filmmaking after training in another discipline, they demonstrate an acute sensitivity to notions of home, trauma, history, and indigeneity in their cinematic vignettes while experimenting with a range of narrative expressions. These critically acclaimed and award-winning films are a continuing testament to the brilliant lineage of filmmakers cultivated by Anti-Archive, a Cambodian film production company with a decade-long mission to support the creation of fiction and documentary films by young independent filmmakers.

The screening on 21 September will be followed by a post-screening talk with filmmaker Danech San, Boren Chhith, and Polen Ly in English.

Sunrise in My Mind

Danech San | 2020 | Digital | Colour | Khmer with English subtitles | 13 min. 45 sec.

Pich works evening shifts at a Phnom Penh beauty salon. As she chats with fellow female co-workers and customers, she wonders about Lay, a young man working as a delivery man by motorbike. As Lay arrives for his nightly visit to the salon, Pich yields to a latent realisation of imagination and desire.

Sea within a Sea

Danech San | 2021 | Digital | Colour | Khmer and English with English subtitles | 24 min. 14 sec.

This short documentary follows local diver Srenh Sorn as he explores the marine flora and fauna in the Koh Sdach Archipelago in southwest Cambodia. By taking a closer look at the health and population trends of coral reefs, sea grass, and seahorse species, Sorn’s efforts contribute to a larger research project to assess the environmental impact of overfishing and commercial development in the region.

Golden Dragon

Boren Chhith | 2023 | Digital | Colour | Khmer with English subtitles | 16 min. 51 sec.

In the coastal city of Sihanoukville, a man wakes up in a hospital, lost in thought. Prompted by a nurse’s questions, he begins to recall disjointed memories of his imagined self, a murdered father, and a dream of a place he once called home.

Further and Further Away

Polen Ly | 2022 | Digital | Colour | Bunong and Khmer with English subtitles | 23 min. 39 sec.

Two indigenous Bunong siblings prepare to move from their rural home in northeastern Cambodia to the capital city of Phnom Penh. On the day of the planned departure, the elder brother packs up their home while the younger sister decides to return to their ancestral village—long submerged from a hydroelectric dam project—to pay respects to their late parents.

Danech San (b. 1991, Cambodia) originally studied interior design before she started working in film production with Anti-Archive on feature-length films such as Diamond Island (2016) and Last Night I Saw You Smiling (2019). San has directed two award-winning short films, A Million Years (2018) and Sunrise In My Mind (2020), and is the founder of the Kampung Film Festival in Cambodia. An alumnus of the Locarno Filmmakers Academy and the SEAFIC Seed Lab, San is a 2024 Resident of the Cinéma de Demain scheme at the Cannes Film Festival.

Boren Chhith (b. 1989, Cambodia) is a filmmaker based in France. Originally trained in theatre and circus arts, Chhith was an actor at the Théâtre du Soleil before venturing into acting and the French film industry where he has worked on several award-winning films such as Anatomy of a Fall (2023) and Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle (2021). Golden Dragon (2023) is his first film as writer and director.

Polen Ly (b. 1989, Cambodia) is a director and documentary filmmaker. Since 2012, Ly has paused his medical studies to pursue filmmaking and has since directed several shorts and documentaries, including Red Ink (2016), Candlelight (2020), and Side by Side (2021). Ly’s works focus on the relationship between human and nature, as well as social issues, and indigenous rights. He participated in the International Writing Residency at the University of Iowa in 2015 and the Asian Film Academy in 2018.