What's On

We invite you cordially to the

PITEAK'S ART EXHIBITION OPENING
AND THE BEST OF CAMBODIAN CONTEMPORARY ART ON VIDEO
THIS TUESDAY, 19/07, from 6PM

Slowly but surely, Cambodia's visual arts' scene has been emerging from the shadow of the Pol Pot era. Sokunta Piteak's work could best be described as fascinatingly captivating and spiritually enchanting.

After being a monk he began painting in 1997. Based on classical drawings and modern visual icons, Piteak's paintings reflects his personal journey as an artist and a street-living individual. For years he was living opposite Meta House in a make-shift-hut. Tonight we invite you to his second solo show.

At 8PM we are screening the video collection REBIRTH – shorts films about Cambodia's contemporary art scene feat. Sopheap Pich, Linda Saphan, Vandy Rattana a.m.m.

Please be our guest for the opening
or on one of the following nights:

* WEDNESDAY, 20/07
"MARVENCOL": THE VIOLENT TOY WORLD OF MARK HOGANCAMP
7PM: After a night of drinking at a bar in his hometown, American Mark Hogancamp got in a fistfight and was beaten so badly he went into a coma. When he regained consciousness, he was diagnosed with brain damage. As he tried to put his life back together, Hogancamp came up with an unusual hobby: Using G.I. Joe action figures and Barbie dolls, Hogancamp created an elaborate scale model community in his backyard that he calls "Marwencol". US filmmaker Jeff Malmberg profiles Mark Hogancamp and the world he created from toys and his imagination in the documentary MARVENCOL (2010, 83 mins) which was premiered at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. …

* THURSDAY, 21/07
TWO EVENTS: "FACING GENOCIDE" AND "SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE"
7PM: A prominent member of the circle of leftist Khmer intellectuals studying in Paris in the 1950s, Khieu Samphan became one of the closest collaborators of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge "Head of State". Swedish filmmakers David Aronowitsch and Staffan Lindberg have followed him two years before his arrest in 2007 for their documentary FACING GENOCIDE (94 mins, 2010, English/English subs). It is is only screened at Meta and features interviews with Theary Seng and Jacques Vergès. 8PM: Video recording (1969) of Hector Berlioz's "SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE". Sergui Celibidace conducts Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI. Admission Fee USD 2; Student pay 1 USD.

* FRIDAY, 22/07
KHMER CINEMA 2011: FRESH FILMS FROM CAMBODIAN FILMMAKERS
7PM: BOYFRIEND (2011, 15 mins. English subs) by the film collective "Kon Khmer Koun Khmer" (Cambodian Films, Cambodian Generations) is a fiction film about a spoiled relationship between a father and a son. 7.30PM: The highly entertaining film BANG BENG, THE INTELLIGENT FARMER (2011, 49 mins, English subs) is directed by Chum Reap and features a fresh cast of Cambodian actors. Through Bong Beng's comical competition with a fellow suitor for a farmer's lovely daughter's hand in marriage, Cambodians can better understand how rice productivity improves the lives of growers. Also screening: Chum Reap's thriller WHO KILLED RUMDOUL (2010, 45 mins, English subs).

* SATURDAY, 23/07
CAMBODIAN WATERWAYS: WHERE HAVE ALL THE FISH GONE?
7PM : Cambodia's two dominant geographical features are the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap - the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia The Mekong sustaining the lives of  65 million people is under dire threat from hydro-electric dams. It's unique ecosystem is unlikely to survive the impact of Cambodian dams in Stung Treng and Sambor. The screening of Tom Fawthrop's new film WHERE HAVE ALL THE FISH GONE? (21 mins, 2010, English subs) is is followed by Peter Degen's breathtaking documentary MEKONG THE MOTHER (2006, 60 mins, English subs). Christophe Gargiulio's documentary LAND OF THE LAKES (2008, 48 mins, English subs) was commissioned by the NGO World Fish Center. Filmmaker will attend the screening abd hold a Q&A.

SUNDAY, 24/07
META VOLUNTEER PARTY: "CHANGING THE WORLD ON VACATION"
7PM: Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others and to have fun. Daniela Kon's debut film CHANGING THE WORLD ON VACATION: NGO VOLUNTEERS AND THE POLITICS OF COMPASSION (2008, 87 mins) is inspired by own experiences volunteering with NGO's in Thailand, India, and Cambodia. She investigates the moral complexity of development work and the personal and political boundaries of sustainability. Not only volunteers are invited tonight for our "Volunteer Party" with special drink offers and DJ after screening.

META HOUSE
#37, Sothearos Blvd.
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
Fixed +855- (0)23– 224 140
Mobil +855- (0)10- 312 333
Homepage: www.meta-house.com
email: mesterharm@gmx.net

Dear Friends of Meta House!

We are happy to present you the program for this week,
which starts with a "strange" documentary double bill -
focusing on music and arts in Romania and West-Papua.

THIS TUESDAY, 5/07, 7PM we invite you to the screenings of
"THE STRANGERS WITHIN" AND "STRANGE BIRDS IN PARADISE"

* THE STRANGERS WITHIN (2009, 55 mins) follows a group of film makers,
who perform clown theatre to various Romanian Gypsy communities –
Europe's most excluded ethnic group. Director Daniele Jimmy will be present at screening (Q&A).

* STRANGE BIRDS IN PARADISE (2009, 75 mins, English subs) by Australian Charlie Hill-Smith is a journey into just some of the more than 250 West Papuan cultures. While the Indonesian army continues to dominate the indigenous inhabitants, three friends gather in Melbourne to record outlawed folk songs about loss, oppression and resistance.

_______________________________________________

Please be our guest also for the following nights:

WEDNESDAY, 6/07
"GENIUS WITHIN": THE INNER LIFE OF FAMOUS PIANIST GLENN GOULD
7PM: Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, who died in 1982, has been a figure of fascination since he burst onto the classical music scene, with startling virtuosity and an unusual brand of flamboyance, in the 1950s. His interpretations of the piano repertory — the work of Bach in particular — were fresh and provocative, and his self-presentation was both matinee-idol charismatic and winningly odd. The doc film GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD (2009, 109 mins, English subs) by Michèle Hozer & Peter Raymont offers up a wealth of moving pictures, ranging from concert footage to goofy home movies, and his movie star charisma remains amply in evidence.

THURSDAY, 7/07
"FUTURE SHORTS": THE BEST OF INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS
7PM: FUTURE SHORTS connects audiences around the world with the best in short film. This month it will screen five SE Asian cities including Phnom Penh. The festival features a selection of local flicks and films from the world's most pioneering filmmakers. Amit Dubey is an Indian American who was working as a Software Engineer, and his passion for cinema drove him to start making films with his childhood buddy Gokul. Their most recent project is a Spanish fantasy-fiction short called "AFTERLIFE", which they shot in their Latino neighborhood in San Francisco. Filmmaker will attend the screening (Q&A). Admission 2 USD; students & filmmakers get in for free.

FRIDAY, 8/07
NEW VIETNAMESE CINEMA: "BI, DON"T BE AFRAID" & "THE TERRACE"
7PM: In recent years, as Vietnam's film industry has modernized and moved beyond government-backed propaganda films, contemporary Vietnamese filmmakers have gained a wider audience. Vietnamese Director Phan Dang Di's first feature film "BI, DON'T BE AFRAID" (2010, 90 mins, English subs) won two of the International Critics Week's prizes at 2010 Cannes Film Festival. The story of a dysfunctional family from Hanoi is told from the perspective of the 6-year-old son Bi. The role of the father is played by Vietnamese actor/filmmaker Nguyen Ha Phong. Phong will hold a Q&A after screening and present his short film "THE TERRACE" (2006, 14 mins, English subs).

SATURDAY, 9/07
"RED WEDDING": FORCED MARRIAGE AND RAPE UNDER KHMER ROUGE
7PM: Between 1975 and 1979, at least 250,000 women were forced into marriages by the Khmer Rouge. The documentary RED WEDDING (2011, 58 mins, English subs) is produced by Rithy Panh's Bophana Center and directed by female film maker Chan Lida (31). She decided to shoot the personal story of Pen Sochan, who was forced to get married and raped when she was just 16 years old. "People have never talked freely about it because it is likely to embarrass the victims. I think this film will encourage victims to talk about their own stories as well as to transfer the message to the next generation," says the director. Chan Lida who will hold a Q&A after screening.

SUNDAY, 10/07
"SEVEN MURDERS FORGIVEN": BOLLYWOOD'S BLACK WIDOW
7PM: Susanna is dark, magical, evil to some and mysteriously charming to the others. She also harbors a secret, known only to her and her faithful companions. Will her ever-lasting quest for love ever come to an end? Vishal Bhardawaj's high-glossy thriller/black comedy 7 KOON MAAF/SEVEN MURDERS FORGIVEN (2011, 137 mins, English subs) is based on British/Indian author Ruskin Bond's book "Susanna's Seven Husbands". It was premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival 2011. 2,500 people watched the screening on the last night of the festival, and later gave the director, cast and crew a standing ovation. Be our guest for Bollywood's latest art house flick!

All best,
Nico Mesterharm
(Director)



META HOUSE
#37, Sothearos Blvd.
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
Fixed +855- (0)23– 224 140
Mobil +855- (0)10- 312 333
Homepage: www.meta-house.com
email: mesterharm@gmx.net

WHEN                 Friday July 8 / 6.30- 8:00 Panel / 8:00 – 9:00 Dance Hall
WHERE              SA SA BASSAC / #18 2nd Floor, Sothearos Blvd, Phnom Penh (see map)
PANELISTS        Ouk Sochivy, Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, Belle Chumvan Sodhachivy
MODERATOR    Chum Noy

Artist Panel: Evolving Traditions
To mark the closing weekend of Ouk Sochivy's solo exhibition In The Club, please join us for a stimulating panel on evolving traditions in painting and dance. Moderated by Chum Noy, a select panel of artists will share their inherited practices and discuss why and how this knowledge is foundational to their work today. Enjoy demonstrations and short videos in preparation for a finishing hour of club culture as the Gallery becomes a dance hall!

Ouk Sochivy is a painter best known for her playful, figurative works of Khmer youth. Exhibitions include To Be Continued, Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre Gallery, Phnom Penh (2009), Farmers and Freshies, Sa Sa Art Gallery, Phnom Penh (2010); and Forever Until Now, 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong (2009), Svay Ken: A Tribute, Java Café and Gallery, Phnom Penh (2009), and her current solo exhibition In The Club, SA SA BASSAC (2011).

Sophiline Cheam Shapiro is a choreographer, dancer, vocalist and educator whose original works have infused the venerable Cambodian classical form with new ideas and energy. As one of the first generation to graduate from Phnom Penh's Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) after the fall of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime, she became a member of RUFA's faculty until she immigrated to Southern California in 1991 where she studied dance ethnology at UCLA and established Khmer Arts Academy in Long Beach, expanding her organization to Phnom Penh in 2006 where she is Artistic Director. Shapiro was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2009. Her choreography with Cambodia's finest performing artists tours internationally.

Belle Chumvan Sodhachivy began her dance training in 1994 at the age of 9. She gained a baccalaureate degree with a focus on classical dance in 2003, before graduating from the theatre production / choreography program at the Royal University of Fine Arts in 2007. She has been actively engaged in international performance and choreography workshops and festivals since 2003, and was the inaugural artist in residence at Cambodia's French Cultural Center in 2009.

Chum Noy is a cultural worker based in Phnom Penh. She has degrees in French and Journalism and has experience as Professor and Interpreter of French as well as radio and television broadcasting and production. She joined Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre for five years as Research Analyst, then Cultural Events Manager. Chum was awarded the ASEAN Youth Culture award in 2003, the ASEAN Young Photographers Award in 2007, and the apexart residency, NY in 2009.

For more information, contact:
Erin Gleeson
Co-Founder / Curator / Director
+855 (0)12 507 917
erin@sasabassac.com