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Screening of award-winning film, The Tenth Dancer, to be held as a benefit for renowned classicaldancer and singer Em Theay and her family, whose house burned down last month.

On Sunday, May 3rd, the documentary film, The Tenth Dancer, focusing on Em Theay and one of hermost accomplished classical dance students, will be shown as part of a fundraising event to help Em Theay and her family recover from a fire that destroyed all their possessions, including a priceless 60-year-old handwritten book of song lyrics. Organized by Dr. Toni Shapiro-Phim, director of Research and Archiving at Khmer Arts in Takhmao, Cambodia, and the staff of Bophana AudiovisualResource Center, the screening will take place at 4 PM, followed by a question and answer session with Em Theay and her daughter, Thoang Kim An, also a noted classical dancer.

In just under four years, during the rule of the Khmer Rouge, an estimated 80-90% of Cambodia’s
professional artists perished, including most of the members of the royal dance troupe. Perhaps only
one in ten survived. The Tenth Dancer is the story of one of those who did.

After Pol Pot was overthrown in 1979, dance teacher and singer Em Theay returned to Phnom Penh to
help rebuild the troupe. The Tenth Dancer is an intimate portrait of the relationship between a teacher
who works tirelessly to pass on her unique knowledge, and her devoted pupil, set against the
backdrop of a devastated country. The film weaves the past and the present, memory and dream, to
reveal a story of human dignity and survival.

In March, Em Theay’s house burned down. Her family was unable to save anything, as they were
trying to help the neighbors, whose house went up in flames first, not imagining the fire would spread
so quickly.

Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center will host the screening/fundraiser on Sunday, May 3, 2009 at
4 PM, #64, Street 200, Phnom Penh (behind the French Cultural Center). Admission is free.
Donations are requested.

The Tenth Dancer was made by Australian filmmaker Sally Ingleton who has been producing and directing award-winning documentaries for 25 years. Khmer Arts is an international NGO dedicated to fostering the vitality of Cambodian dance across borders.

PDF in Khmer(75kb)

For further information please contact:

Au bénéfice de la très célèbre danseuse et chanteuse Em Theay et de sa famille, dont la maison a été détruite par le feu en mars dernier, une projection du film The Tenth Dancer [La dixième danseuse] qui a obtenu plusieurs prix, est organisée.

Réalisé en 1992, par Sally Ingleton, documentariste australienne, le film offre un portrait intimiste de la relation entre Em Theay et son élève. Em Theay a travaillé inlassablement à transmettre son savoir unique après les longues années de guerre au Cambodge.

Organisé par Toni Shapiro-Phim de Khmer Arts, à Takhmao.
Dimanche 3 mai 2009 à 16h au Centre de ressources audiovisuelles Bophana, # 64, rue 200, Phnom Penh.
Entrée libre : les spectateurs sont invités à faire une donation à Em Theay et sa famille.

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter :

Chum Noy
Cultural event manager
Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center
Mobile: 012 714 211
noy.chum@bophana.org