The 11th annual Angkor Photo Festival, which starts this Saturday, will show work by more than 130 photographers from 45 countries.
Seven exhibitions and eight evenings of photo projection will be open to the public, and will also draw in photographers who want to share and critique one another’s work and acquire new perspectives, according to program coordinator Francoise Callier.
“I think we are helping a lot of emerging photographers from all over the world. They are becoming recognized,” Ms. Callier said, adding that the festival has helped advance the careers of many Asian photographers over the years by connecting them with peers from around the world.
Among this year’s showcases is a collection of photos from Magnum photographer John Vink’s “Cycle of Rice” series, an ongoing collaboration with The Cambodia Daily.
The festival gives photographers opportunities to engage with like-minded individuals such as Kevin WY Lee, who founded the visual arts group Invisible Photographer Asia and will speak at the festival’s projection evening that features photographers from Hong Kong and Taiwan on Wednesday. The Phnom Penh-based journalist group Ruom Collective will host “The Ruom Hangout” forum for photographers on Friday afternoon.
“The Impact Project,” which was also part of last year’s program, will highlight documentary photography as a tool for social and environmental activism. This year, it includes work by 24-year-old Cambodian photographer Try Sophal, who documented the work of the Siem Reap-based Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles, which seeks to promote traditional weaving.
Ms. Sophal learned photography eight years ago in workshops provided through the festival’s partnership with Anjali House, an NGO that provides shelter and education to impoverished children in Siem Reap. Her recently published photo book “The Lucky One” will be on sale at the event.
The opening of the festival will be at the Royal Gardens at the Victoria Angkor Resort in Siem Reap City at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. It runs through December 12.
