Art by Kanha Hul entitled 100 Hands
Note: Koji Minami is a successful graphic designer and illustrator living in Seattle, Washington. Like many of us, he found his way to Cambodia and became smitten with its culture and explosive art scene. Minami has recently released a documentary about the contemporary art scene, which deserves our attention. Although we were not in Cambodia simultaneously, we share many friends. I am grateful for his permission to use his photographs, story and share his film with our readers.- Jinx Davis
In 2016 Koji Minami volunteered for a year in Cambodia and joined his friend Lauren Iida, an artist known throughout Cambodia, France and the United States for her remarkable paper cut-out art that adorns many public spaces and countless homes worldwide. In 2008, Lauren founded Open Studio Cambodia, an art collective based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, which supports emerging Cambodian contemporary artists and organizes exhibitions, workshops, and contemporary art tours throughout the country.
Koji writes:
“During my time in the country, I fell in love with its culture and people, and I was lucky enough to form some very deep friendships that have deeply impacted me. Since then, I have been back to visit a handful of times and always dreamed of somehow documenting the incredible stories of the people I’ve met along the way.”
In 2019, Koji and Lauren agreed to produce a collection of vignettes to illustrate the outburst of creativity and talent emerging from the country. With Lauren’s command of the Khmer language and her wide circle of friends and connections throughout the land, Koji could spend time with many contributing artists.
Making Made In Cambodia was an amazing opportunity to take a deeper dive into many aspects of Khmer culture, and to connect with the amazing artists featured. Being an artist myself, the subjects of art, expression, and the role that creativity plays in our lives and society are important to me. It was incredibly fascinating to hear the artists’ experiences from their personal perspective. From my perspective, their stories were both universal and unique – it was utterly fascinating to hear what it’s like to be an artist from another culture – what inspires them to create, what unique challenges they face, how they are seen in society. It was truly an honor and a privilege to listen to and share their stories. Making the documentary was a labor of love – it was self-funded on a shoestring budget, and shot in a scrappy run-and-gun style, so by necessity, I wore a lot of hats – director, cinematographer, sound recordist, editor, and producer. The project was initiated at the tail end of 2019, and it ended up taking me longer than anticipated to complete and release, due in part to the whole world catching on fire in 2020. But these stories are important, and they have grown close to my heart, so I’m absolutely thrilled to finally be able to share them.
For a short documentary, Koji Minami accomplishes a great deal. He introduces his viewers to recent history with excellent film and photographic choices displaying the golden days of music, the Khmer Rouge regime, the aftermath of the devastation, and the slow rebuilding of a nation. As a one-person crew, he masterly guides his camera to catch details, capturing the emotional and sensory feel of streets, rooms, faces, and conversation. His sensitivity and respect for the artists in the film is evident with each camera angle.
He presents his viewers to six relevant artists: Theanly Chov, Channy Chhouen, Meas Sokhorn, Neak Sophal, Morn Chear, and Kanha Hul. He captures their essence by allowing them to share their own stories. Each artist speaks boldly, honestly, and emotionally about their work and their nation’s promise and tribulations. For me, watching my friends was profoundly moving. It will be for you, as well.
The film’s production values are strong, thanks to the original music by Owen Whitcomb & Brenan Chambers, audio post-production by Ben Roth, translation by Prenz Sa-Nguon, and additional footage provided by Robert Campbell. Made in Cambodia was produced by Lauren Iida.
The film speaks for itself.