A number of familiar names will be showing at the festival and a lot more unfamiliar ones. I will probably scour through the list and dig up the photographers’ works. What’s noteworthy is the slideshows to be shown throughout the city – one on the Bangkok unrest earlier this year and the devastation that ripped through Haiti.

A pity I won’t be attending (I used to lack the funds, now I lack the time.) but do make your travel arrangements early. I heard that accommodation would be close to impossible to find during that period.

Visit the website and the latest newsletter for more information.

Edited (15 Jun 09): Apparently there won’t be the festival this year but only the workshops. A pity, really!

Now that SIPF is over, the next big event to watch out in Southeast Asia is the Angkor Photography Festival. It will be on from 23 Nov to 28 Nov in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The first festival of its kind in SEA, this is its fourth year running. We will be seeing the usual outdoor projections at different locations in Siem Reap. If you are a regular reader, there will be many familiar name presenting at the festival.

An interesting feature this year would be the extension of the festival to Phnom Penh, from 29 Nov to 7 Dec. This would be the first photography festival held in the capital city, with 13 exhibitions and 5 screening events held across the city.

It looks set to be another exciting year. I’m trying to see if I can fit my schedule to fly up for the festival! Anyway, visit the website for more information.

Immortalized in The Killing Fields, Cambodian photographer, Dith Pran, passed away yesterday due to pancreatic cancer.

“You’ve probably seen some pictures with his smile. He had a smile that would light up a skyscraper,” Sydney Schanberg.

Lieh Haoy, Dith.

link

From their site:
The festival brings together well-known and passionate photographers from across the world in a spirit of creativity and sharing. It showcases exhibitions and outdoor projections about Asia by renowned artists and photojournalists, while differentiating itself from other events with its strong educational goals.

Outreach programs for street children, landmine victims and HIV-positive women will be held alongside free workshops for young Asian photographers. Gary Knight from VII will be heading an assignment-based workshop. There is also a commercial workshop led by Vincent Soyez and Laurent Zylberman. Lastly, there is the photography contest on Flickr.

It looks set to be an exciting festival once again. The list of participants contains illustrious names from all over the world. It would definitely be a great experience to meet some of them. I missed the festival last year when I was in Cambodia and it looks like I would be missing it again this year due to school. I would have enjoyed doing a reportage on the event!

Popil PhotoGallery
#126 St 19
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Can’t believe I actually missed the place during my visit last year, was probably too busy doing all the touristy stuff. I will definitely pay a visit the next time I go to Phnom Penh.

Edit: Apparently the gallery is no longer operational. Credit goes to Mr Vink for the information.

© Vandy Rattana

© Vandy Rattana

© Vandy Rattana

In Self-Portrait, Vandy does not appear in any of the photographs himself. Instead, he provides a ‘true-to-life image of his immediate environment’.

The result is an authentic visual archive that provides a counterbalance to the clichéd image of Cambodia as the land of monks, temples and beggars. Moreover, much of the national archives were lost in the war. Visual material about previous generations is hardly available. That makes the recording of history something of the greatest importance, Vandy Rattana suggests.

Add Vandy as a friend on flickr. Read the feature on Noorderlicht here. Some of his stuff at Popil Photo Gallery.

Find out more about VAO here.

I hope to discover more Cambodian photographers. There is a void there but it’s explainable as most of the people are struggling to make ends meet. When I was there, there were many galleries having pictures of monks and Angkor Wat for sale. The inclusion of Vandy’s works in Noorderlicht will hopefully spur on a new generation of local photographers in Cambodia.