We open in a crowded theater, faces tilted upward, awash with shafts of lint-laden light. On the screen: flying pigs, go-go dancers, courtly intrigue, love triangles, and serpentine goddesses. The hour draws to a close and the patrons file out into the sticky Mekong heat. On the balmy sidewalk, they trade thoughts about the movie they just emerged from. Favorite characters. Favorite scenes. As they start to make their way home, they stop for a second to listen, turning their ears towards the movie theater. A song leaks through the walls, tangos with the city’s din, and burrows a home into their hearts.

These were the sights you might encounter in Phnom Penh during the golden age of Cambodian cinema—an era pulsing with color, artistry, and resourcefulness, yet one that still eludes even the most dedicated of cinephiles and film archivists.

*Movie theater in phnom Penh c. 1970 ᐧ source unknown ᐧ* *Pinterest*

The early 1960s marked a pivotal moment in Cambodian film history, driven by several key factors. King Norodom Sihanouk នរោត្តម សីហនុ, who played a crucial role in securing Cambodia's independence from French rule, was also a passionate patron of the arts—acting, composing music, directing and starring in films himself. His film The Little Prince (1967) or ព្រះប្រជាកុមារ would go on to win the Golden Apsara Award at the 1968 Phnom Penh International Film Festival.

In the same period, acclaimed French director Marcel Camus decided to film Bird of Paradise (1962) in Phnom Penh, giving rise to several well-known Cambodian actors and filmmakers. Some including the iconic actor Nop Nem ណុបណែម and the lauded director Yvon Hem អ៊ីវ៉ុង ហែម.

*Crew of Marcel Camus during the shooting of “L’ oiseau du paradis” in 1961 ᐧ photo from Charles Meyer collection, National Archive*

*Director Yvon Hem ᐧ* *photo from the Phnom Penh Post*

These factors created the perfect conditions for a cinematic renaissance in Cambodia. From the early 1960s to 1975, the country transformed from having little to no cinematic tradition to producing around 300 films—many of which achieved international acclaim. The Snake Man (1970), or ពស់កេងកង, became a major hit in Thailand, one of the biggest box-office successes in Southeast Asia at the time. According to Thailand's Krung Thep Turakij newspaper, The Snake Man was awarded at the 19th Asian Movie Awards in Singapore in 1972, taking home six golden awards, including Best Director for Tea Lim Koun ទាលឺមគុនឮណ and Best Actress for Dy Saveth ឌីសាវ៉េត.

The films made during this era were fantastical, epic, and often rooted in Cambodian legends. In Phnom Penh, people from all walks of life gathered in movie theaters to watch them. These films were almost always accompanied by music, often sung by Sinn Sisamouth ស៊ីន សុីសាមុត and Ros Sereysothea រស់ សេរីសុទា, who have come to be regarded as Cambodian musical legends. Orn Euy Srey Orn (1972), or អនអើយស្រីអន, featureស a beloved soundtrack sung by these two icons. The titular song, with its poignant lyrics and soulful melody, became an anthem that has endured to this day. For instance—in the latest season of Cambodian Idol, winner Savin សាវិន chose to perform a rendition of the song, a testament to its lasting impact.

Orn Euy Srey Orn is just one film in the oeuvre of director Ly Bun Yim (លី ប៊ុនយីម), who became known as something of a wizard of special effects. He managed to create scenes of earthquakes, flying animals, and giants peering into castles by manipulating physical film and utilizing practical effects—an extraordinary feat, especially considering the lack of CGI at the time.

Flying horse and giant ᐧ photos from selected Ly Bun Yim films

Amid this historic cinematic boom, Cambodia found itself grappling with a far more somber reality in the countryside: civil war. The Khmer Rouge was steadily encroaching on the capital and the city’s residents had grown familiar with the distant roar of explosives. In a bid to protect its citizens, the government attempted to impose a curfew on movie theaters. However, this effort to dim the cultural heartbeat of Phnom Penh was met with opposition. As recounted by director Ly Bun Yim in the documentary Golden Slumbers, the theater owners refused to comply, standing their ground. The city eventually relented, and the theaters continued to operate very nearly until the end.

In 1975, the Khmer Rouge evacuated Phnom Penh and targeted anyone they deemed corrupt by modernity and Western ideology. This brutal purge resulted in the deaths of nearly 2 million people, many of whom were creatives, intellectuals, and cultural leaders. Amidst this destruction, much of Cambodia’s cinematic legacy was left to decay. Film reels were abandoned to rot, leading to the loss of hundreds of films. Today, only a few of these films remain, preserved in fragments and the smaller pieces of a far larger story.

*Fall of Phnom Penh, 17 April 1975 ᐧ photo by Roland Neveu*

Along with the destruction of physical films came the loss of nearly an entire generation of artists—those who would have passed on their knowledge and acumen to future generations of creators. The genocide severed this artistic lineage, leaving survivors to learn from scratch and without the guidance of the greats. This wound inflicted on Cambodia's cultural heritage remains an enduring scar, leaving a void in the artistic community that is still felt as the country works to rebuild and revive its creative spirit.

But not all is lost. Today, the people of Cambodia are working tirelessly to revive the nation's arts and culture. In 2010, the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts held its first international film festival, from October 20th to 23rd. In the same year, the Department of Media and Communication at the Royal University of Phnom Penh published a significant paper on the cinema of Cambodia called Kon: The Cinema of Cambodia. This paper marked an important step in the academic recognition and analysis of Cambodia’s film history, shedding light on both its rich pre-Khmer Rouge cinema culture and the challenges faced in rebuilding the industry after the genocide. By studying the evolution of Cambodian cinema, the paper contributed to the broader effort of reviving and preserving the nation's film heritage. Alongside this, the Bophana Center was founded by leading Cambodian auteur Rithy Panh in 2006. The center plays a vital role in preserving and promoting Cambodia's film heritage, offering a space for both historical recovery and the nurturing of new creative voices. Together, these efforts signal a hopeful resurgence of Cambodia’s cultural and artistic legacy, slowly rebuilding what we’ve lost.