2 weeks ago
EXCLUSIVE: Cambodian accumulation location Sastra Film International is attending Cannes for nan first clip pinch a room of scary titles, including its first push into English-language accumulation pinch supernatural scary title Faceless.
Directed by Jeremiah Kipp, nan movie stars Bella Mraz, James Preston, Holley Johnson and Ryan Bertorche, who travelled to Cambodia to sprout nan film. Based connected a communicative by Sastra Film laminitis Bun Channimol, nan movie follows a group of YouTube ghost-hunters who brushwood an evil unit successful nan Cambodian jungle.
Sastra is successful talks pinch world distributors for nan precocious completed film. Kipp is known for Shudder Original Slapface (2021), while caller credits see The Mortuary Assistant, besides released connected Shudder. The movie marks Sastra’s first collaboration pinch Western scary talent.
Also connected Sastra’s slate, which is being repped successful Cannes by Singapore-based Wave Films, is English-language scary Mama’s Here, directed by Bun Chanpich and starring Samantha Drews, Chheng Liza and John Sak. Currently successful post-production, nan movie combines Cambodian taste narratives pinch English-language accessibility.
Sastra and Wave are besides trading a room of astir 20 Khmer-language scary films, headed by existent theatrical merchandise Death Marriage, which has grossed much than $600,000 astatine nan Cambodian container agency and is still playing. Directed by Bun Chanpich, nan movie stars Siguek Prek, Pammy and Sovan Sonita.
“We’ve spent much than a decade building Sastra Film into Cambodia’s largest studio,” said Sastra Film laminitis and CEO Bun Channimol. “Cannes is wherever we present our accumulation value to nan remainder of nan world.”
Established successful 2015, Sastra started retired producing euphony videos and tv series, moving into characteristic movie accumulation pinch nan emergence of Cambodia’s theatrical marketplace complete nan past 3 to 4 years.
The institution now operates a 300-person accumulation and distribution hub successful Phnom Penh, producing 10 films past twelvemonth and aiming to double that output to 20 films this year, from improvement done post-production. While astir each these films are released theatrically successful Cambodia, nan workplace besides operates its ain Sastra Film streaming app.
“What makes Sastra compelling for world buyers is consistency – a pipeline of proven contented from a azygous studio, astatine accumulation costs astir one-quarter of comparable Western budgets,” said Wave Films managing head Jerry Koedding. “This isn’t a one-title play. We’re offering streamers and distributors a reliable root of genre contented backed by home theatrical way records.”
Sastra’s adjacent measurement is producing a pipeline of English-language scary films designed specifically for world audiences, pinch 5 titles planned for 2026. “The studio’s scary films tie from Cambodian folklore and taste traditions that stock DNA pinch Southeast Asian genre cinema, some of which person built important world followings,” Koedding added.
Cambodia’s section accumulation assemblage is booming owed to nan description of caller cinemas pinch container agency increasing by 40% to scope $16M successful 2024 from conscionable 130 screens.
Based successful Singapore, Wave Films is simply a accumulation services institution operating crossed Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and nan UK, pinch much than 400 hours of contented produced for world broadcasters and world brands. The institution besides serves arsenic world income typical for prime titles, pinch Sastra Films’ catalogue arsenic its flagship genre slate.
