Residency period

May – October, 2017.

About RoungKon Project

RoungKon Project was found in 2016 by a group of architects and architecture students. It is a multi-disciplinary project that aims to promote and document all the 60s cinemas in Cambodia. The documentation will focus on all forms such as architecture drawings, interviews (with filmmakers, research scholars and ordinary people), Photo, filming, written documents and maps.  The project will highlight the aspect of urban form of the cities through cinemas on how it reflects the ideology of Sangkum Reastr Niyum era’s city planning based on cultural engagement.

[ The front from left to right: Hor Daro, Ly Roset, Tum Yuriphal, Hun Sokagna and the back from right to left: Sok Sopheap, Seng Chanraksmey, Chhor Savin, Ny Kechseang ]

Focus

They will focus on the heritage cinemas remaining in Cambodia, documenting the history and translating memories into audio and visual, which enable people getting to know more history of the cinema, its architectural designs during 1960s. Our works will focus on 4 main objectives:

1. Introduction of the cinemas, and the primary documents of cinema which includes started working on the cinemas mapping and introducing the trace of cinemas in Phnom Penh: using Google map to point out the location of the cinemas and show the evolution of the cinema as much as possible, also the memorize of the local residents.

2. Documents Research, find out the old documents includes: old photos about the cinema buildings, movie posters, history of cinemas, and the way of cinemas practices by people, from available institutions such as: National Archives of Cambodia, US National Archives, National Library and other libraries.

3. Cinemas Architecture and Memories Surveying. We visited Kampong Cham and Battambang province where there are few rest cinemas, which allowed our team to document and survey the architectural building design of those cinemas before they have gone. Furthermore, we met and conducted the interview with some people who have experienced in the film industry and the cinema.

4. Interviews: meet with the people who are interested in the film and cinema, as well as the elderly people who experienced in film industry. Specially, star movies, filmmakers, poster painters, also cinéphiles who are available and willing for the research. Furthermore, the young generations who we can find out about their idea and thinking of the reasons behind the losing and modernist influence.

For more information, please check out their website: roungkonproject.com