Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
resort of Kep was remodelled at this time, as the emergent Cambodian middle class
flocked to the beach, and there are some fantastic if dilapidated examples of New Khmer
Architecture around the small town. Boutique hotels Knai Bang Chatt and Villa Romonea
in Kep are both restored examples from this period.
To discover examples of New Khmer Architecture, visit the website of
Khmer Architec-
ture Tours
(
www.ka-tours.org
)
or sign up for one of its walking tours of Phnom Penh or Bat-
tambang. The website includes downloadable printouts for DIY tours of each city.
Even the destructive Khmer Rouge paid homage to the mighty Angkor Wat on its flag, with
three towers of the temple in yellow, set against a blood-red background.
Cinema
Back in the 1960s, the Cambodian film industry was booming. Between 1960 and 1975,
more than 400 films were made, some of which were exported all around Asia, including
numerous films by then head-of-state Norodom Sihanouk. However, the advent of Khmer
Rouge rule saw the film industry disappear overnight and it didn't recover for more than a
quarter of a century.
The film industry in Cambodia was given a new lease of life in 2000 with the release of
Pos Keng Kong
(The Giant Snake). A remake of a 1960s Cambodian classic, it tells the
story of a powerful young girl born from a rural relationship between a woman and a
snake king. It's an interesting love story, albeit with dodgy special effects, and achieved
massive box-office success around the region.
Australian-Cambodian film
Ruin
(2013), directed by Amiel Courtin-Wilson and Michael Cody,
won the special Orizzonti jury prize at the Venice Bienniale Film Festival.
The success of
Pos Keng Kong
heralded a mini revival in the Cambodian film industry
and local directors now turn out several films a year. However, many of these are amateur-
ish horror films of dubious artistic value.
At least one overseas Cambodian director has enjoyed major success in recent years:
Rithy Panh's
People of the Rice Fields
was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes
Film Festival in 1995. The film touches only fleetingly on the Khmer Rouge, depicting
the lives of a family living an arduous existence in the rice fields. His other films include
