Don't miss it

Li-Da Kruger (left) and a potential mother, from Belonging

Tonight, 7pm at Meta House, next to Wat Botum in Phnom Penh, I'll be presenting two documentaries about the return of two women to find their family roots, their past, their heritage here in Cambodia. Belonging will give Li-Da Kruger, adopted as a baby and whisked off to the UK, a chance to find out more about her family background. Read more here. New Year Baby, received great acclaim on its release and rightly so as Socheata Poeuv returns to unlock secrets she never dreamed existed. More here.

Film poster for New Year Baby

Khmer women in the spotlight

I've seen the legendary chapei master Kong Nay perform quite a few times, but I've never seen his protege, Ouch Savy in the flesh, so to speak. I've even been to her home and chatted to her mother, herself a well-known musician, but Savy and Kong Nay were on tour at the time of my visit. In fact their touring took them to the United Kingdom where they performed at the world-famous WOMAD festival, to great acclaim, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. So I'm eagerly awaiting tonight's Joop session at Meta House, where Savy will perform as part of a multi-media show. As one of the first women to learn the chapei, Savy, in her early twenties, is a pioneer and her duet with Kong Nay - their houses were two metres apart when they lived in the Dey Krahom area until it was levelled - can be heard on the cd from Cambodian Living Arts, Mekong Delta Blues (pictured right).

Tomorrow night, also at Meta House (next to Wat Botum for those who haven't ventured there before), I will be hosting two excellent films that look at two women from the Khmer diaspora, who return to Cambodia in search of their roots and a better understanding of their past. We start at 7pm and Li-Da Kruger's return for the film Belonging will start us off. Li-Da was adopted as a baby by well-to-do parents in the UK but is still determined to track down her real family, if that's still possible after twenty-five years. For Socheata Poeuv in New Year Baby, she knows her parents, or at least she thinks she does but returning to Cambodia opens a window into a world she never knew. Both films are well worth watching.

Don't miss these

A quick reminder of some events taking place today and the next few days. At Meta House (St 264 near Wat Botum) tonight (Friday), there's the dual screening of New Year Baby, the 80-minute search for family secrets by Socheata Poeuv, followed by Seasons of Migration, showcasing the work of classical dance teacher Sophiline Cheam Shapiro. English language films start at 8pm. Tomorrow night, Saturday, same venue, are two films by the former King, Norodom Sihanouk, namely Shadow over Angkor (1968) and Rose of Bokor (1969), but don't expect great filmmaking, instead, enjoy them for the period pieces they are. Start 7pm.
Tomorrow night is also the first performance of the theatre art work Breaking The Silence, by Dutch director Annemarie Prins and Amrita Performing Arts. It promises to be something very special, dealing with memories and experiences from the Khmer Rouge period, and after the two weekend performances, will be taken on the road to the provinces. It starts at 6.30pm, at the exhibition hall opposite the new National Assembly building and tickets are free. If you can squeeze it in, there's a film about how the Khmer Rouge saw themselves at Bophana Center at 4pm tomorrow as well. Its called Bitter Khmer Rouge (Khmers Rouges Amers), by Bruno Carette and Sien Meta, but the downside is that this version is in French.
An exhibition worth a visit is a display of traditional paintings by artist Chhim Sothy at the Dept of Fine Arts on Street 63, which will run until the end of the month. Next week at Meta House, veteran war photographer Tim Page will be around to open his new permanent exhibition of some of his photographs at 6pm on Tuesday 24th, the same night as the documentary Vietnam American Holocaust by Clay Claiborne, which looks like a very interesting 90-minutes worth of viewing. Link: Bitter Khmer Rouge.

Sleepwalking

Dengue Fever - Sleepwalking Through The Mekong

As befits a new year, January is looking like it's going to be a busy month, for me personally at work as well as in my leisure time. I should be heading to Siem Reap next weekend and further afield later in the month. I've promised myself to get my arse back onto the football field. And there's a smattering of documentaries and events that I'd love to attend too. Won't be able to fit all of them in but I'll give it a good go.
More on the events. Meta House kicked it off with an exhibition by Srey Bandol last night, and tonight, there's another Meta exclusive, with acclaimed photographer Tim Page holding court on the upper floor with his photos, some chat, a documentary and more besides. It starts at 6pm and I recommend you get along. During the rest of the month, Meta House is chockablock full of goodies worth seeing. The pick of the bunch for me is on Tuesday 20th when director John Pirrozi will present his rockumentary Sleepwalking Through The Mekong as it follows Los Angeles band Dengue Fever on a journey to Cambodia to perform 60s and 70s Cambodian rock n' roll in the country where it was created and very nearly destroyed. The homecoming of singer Chhom Nimol adds an extra touch to proceedings. Well worth noting your diary for this event. Also to watch out for is the excellent New Year Baby documentary from Socheata Poeuv on Sunday 11th, showing first in Khmer and then in English. An evening with Cambodian Living Arts on Friday 30th is also in my diary. As well as live music, The Flute Player telling the compelling story of Arn Chorn-Pond will be shown. Other events that will be covered during January include the Khmer Rouge legacy, UXO, garment factory workers, human rights, BBC World Trust, the environment in Cambodia and much more. It really is an action-packed month for Meta House.
One event that I'm ultra keen to attend is the talk by Bruno Bruguier on Thursday 29th at 6.30pm called The Archaeological Sites of Southern Cambodia which will be held at the cinema of the French Cultural Center on Street 218. I met Bruno a few weeks ago and his presentation will be to introduce a new book he is publishing about the ancient archaeological sites in the southern half of the country. There is a downside, the book is only in French, but the talk will also be in Khmer and English. Bruno is an enthusiast for his subject and I know his talk will be well worth attending.
Link: Sleepwalking.