Student documentaries taking a new angle on Khmer Rouge Regime – “Until Today”
Eighteen students from the Department of Media and Communication (DMC) are presenting their latest video production of short documentaries about the consequences of the Khmer Rouge Regime within a press conference on June 22nd, 2011, at 9:00am at the DMC building, Royal University of Phnom Penh.
Following the invitation of esteemed guest speakers including Ministry of Information, Bophana Audiovisual Center and trauma experts from the RUPP Department of Psychology, the audience will get an exclusive preview of young filmmaker’s work, together with important topical insights from the panel speakers.
“Until Today – Outgrowing the shadow of Democratic Kampuchea” is a series of nine short documentaries resulting from an ongoing Video Journalism course at the DMC under the supervision of German professor Mr. Andreas Grigo; the project was funded by GIZ, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, as part of the German Cooperation with Cambodia.
The documentaries, featuring various places across the country, investigate two kinds of topics: Events that occurred during the Khmer Rouge regime which are of consequence for people’s lives today – and events that are taking place nowadays, at least partly because of what happened in the 1970s. “The regime is long over, but it left us some ghastly souvenirs”, says Andreas Grigo. “Even today people are still looking for their family, suffer from trauma, or have to deal with an amputated leg, because they stepped on a mine. Modern Khmer society has a lot of issues to deal with, and, without telling too much, these films offer some interesting examples how this is possible.”
Recognizing the importance of sharing experiences and initiating dialogue, the 18 young filmmakers have screened their documentaries in three provinces including Siem Reap, Battambang and Kampot. “We were really producing documentaries for the first time, but after these screenings, we received so many positive comments and questions directly from the audience, it really was a great experience for everyone involved”, one student puts it.
Background: The Department of Media and Communication of the Royal University of Phnom Penh offers its students a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Management. As a four-year-course, it is designed to provide a comprehensive training from converging journalism to media ethics, marketing and newsroom management, relevant for a broad range of professions within the media sector.
When: 22 June · 09:00 – 11:00
Where: Department of Media and Communication
