FAHTHAI
125
THEGUIDE
cambodia & laos
LAOS COUNTRY CODE
+856
EXCHANGE RATE
LAK8,000 = US$1
LUANG PRABANG FREQUENCY
2 flights per day from Bangkok
ANGKOR PHOTO FESTIVAL’S 10TH YEAR; HALF MARATHON IN SIEM REAP
S I E M R E A P
Shutterspeed
TheAngkorPhotoFestival is the longest-runningphotography event
inSouth-EastAsia. Asmore festivals emerge, this event’s emphasis on
educationhas become evenmore important, says coordinatorJessicaLim
S I E M R E A P
The Angkor Wat
International Half
Marathon has been held
since December 1996
at the famed UNESCO
World Heritage Site. On
7 December, walkers,
joggers, sprinters and
endurance runners will
rise at dawn to take part in
the 21km half marathon,
the 10km run or the 3km
family run. The scenery is
breathtaking – the ancient
ruins covered in mist and
the forest still dewy – and
all races start and finish
in front of Angkor Wat’s
lotus-shaped spires.
angkormarathon.org
Temple
track
What sets this photo festival apart from
others in the region?
The town of Siem Reap, with the
majestic temples of Angkor, has a
very special meaning to the founding
group of photographers. They spent
many years living and working
in the region and the festival and
workshops were their way of giving
back to the community. That and
providing training for emerging
photographers in Asia, to empower
them to be storytellers of their
own cultures and communities. It
is this origin that makes education
such a big part of what we do. I
can only speak for myself, but this
festival is special to me because of
its casual and informal atmosphere,
which promotes open exchange and
interaction. No one walks around
with badges declaring their status.
This is the festival's 10th birthday. What's
extra special this year?
For the first time, we’re having
“The Impact Project”, an evening of
projecting photo stories about people
making positive changes in the world.
We’ll also be holding a special night
dedicated to displaying the work of
workshop alumni. This year also sees
the launch of “GreenLight”, a series of
outdoor exhibitions by the riverside that
focuses on photo projects highlighting
important environmental issues.
Can you tell us about what you see as the
most compelling photography coming out
of this region right now?
I absolutely love watching the
photography scene unfold in both
Thailand and Cambodia. There’s so
much flux, with traditional formats
meeting new concepts and emerging
photographers daring to experiment,
that it’s always refreshing and exciting.
Working at the festival, I’ve been
privileged to have seen extraordinary
work from all over Asia, and it’s
impossible to pinpoint just one country
in particular.
Which exhibitions are your favourites?
That’s a difficult question. Ragnar
Axelsson’s magnificent images from
the Arctic, legendary Hong Kong
photographer Fan Ho’s black-and-
white street photography, Stephen
Shame’s 22-year-long work on the lives
of boys living in the Bronx, workshop
alumnus Kishor Sharma’s on nomads
in Nepal, “Ceux du Nord” a collection
of historical images of the Vietnam
War as photographed by Vietnamese
photographers...
angkor-photo.com
IMAGES: "IMAGINE FRANCE: A FANTASTICAL VOYAGE" ©MAIA FLORE / AGENCE VU / ATOUT FRANCE (MAIN); "THE MEKONG"
©LÂM DUC HIÊN (TOP RIGHT); "PORTRAITS FROM A REVOLUTION" ©JONATHA BORZICCHI / REDUX (BOTTOM RIGHT)
