My name is Rithea PHICHITH or in Khmer " ភិជិត ប្ញទ្ធា ", I am now 23 years old and I was born at Battambang province where I finished high school at 2006. I came to Phnom Penh at the end of the year 2006 to pursue my higher education in Medical Field at University Of Health Sciences in Phnom Penh. Now, I am almost a 6fth year medical student. My father's name's "Phichith SOU" or in Khmer " ស៊ូ ភិជិត ", he runs a small business at home in Battambang Town which he can earn enough money to support the whole family. My mother's name "Moneychinda TRY" or in Khmer "ទ្រី មុនីចិន្តា". She's a teacher at a primary school in Battambang Town. I have 2 other younger brothers and 1 older and 1 younger sisters, and I am the second child in the family. I love my family, especially my respectful mum and dad.
I like sports, such as football, volley ball and Ping Pong (table tenis) but I am not a good player, as I always play with my brother I could say that he's my only good enemy while playing table tenis! :D I also like music and movie, and I like reading book either but actually I mostly read Medical Books.
I like arts, especially film making, so besides my medical studies, I made short-film with my friend and my team (4K). :)
Here are the answers of your questions:
Actually, I started getting interested in film-making since 2009, but as I had no relationship and I was also busy with my medical study, I could not do anything just I was finding something around the internet while there was a place called Cambodia Film Commission (CFC) created a workshop related to the film which I could apply for the Assistant Filmmaker on January 2010. After that I was contacted by a DMCer, Tongny KAING, to work with a French Film Production, Vycky Film, on a documentary film called Golden Slumber of a French filmmaker, Davy CHOU. After finished the production of the Golden Slumber, I asked to join an independent filmmaking team, Kon Khmer Koun Khmer (Cambodian Film Cambodian Generation) which found by the same Davy CHOU where I could learn how to make film on their second short-film project "Boyfriend".
I learn to make film by myself by surfing Google, Youtube, read film books, or asked the advices from friends, well now I still continue to do like these to improve my filmmaking skill as there are no film school here in Cambodia (Even there is one new film school at National University of Management, but still not clear about the information) and also as I am a Medical Student, I mostly spend my time on Medical Study.
- Who has inspired me to go into this field? I could answer that mostly is myself, and my 4K friends is also a part of my inspiration. They always support me, advice me on making film.
- I made two short-films already, one with my 4K team with many advices from the expat and friend, and the other one I made with my new friends who also like making film, and I am planing to make a few more this month. About funding, for the first one as it was a 4K's project, we made a fundraiser and got some co-producer, and for the second one my friend and I funded by ourself as it was only 2mn 34s, we could afford to make it.
- I think some are great, like Lost Love made by Mr. Bora CHHAY, a Documentary Film Red Weeding by Miss Lyda CHAN, The Crocodile by H.E Ayuth MAO, The Enemy Of The People by Mr. Sambath THET, etc., some received many award and screen on many international film festival, and also many short-film and documentary-film by Young Cambodian filmmaker some are great even it's just student's film. Actually some are not so good, but I'm also proud of them, because they also tried to make it. We need more Cambodian Film, we need more filmmaker, but actually we need film lover and film supporter the most, what can we do if no one wants to watch Cambodian Film? How could we make if there are no supporters? Where could we screen if we have no Cinema? Where could we sale our DVD if there are no market of Film's DVD? That's the problem, big problem.
- As I am one of the Cambodian self-made filmmaker, I could say that Cambodians love films, Cambodians want to make films, but sometime they don't now how they can make it, especially the young generation. They want to study making film but they have no chance because their are no film school here, nor Cambodian Film's market, nor the support from the parents.
- Honestly, this is also my problem which my parents don't want me to be artist, they only want me to focus on my current study, so that's why I never let them know that I'm making film right now. As they live far away from me I can hide almost all of my information about films. But Actually, maybe one day, if I succeed my goal being a professional filmmaker, I will tell them directly. :D
- For my future, I am still blur. I am not sure, as I am studying in Medical Field, I will be more busy next year or later when I graduate to be a real Doctor, but I still want to support Cambodian Films at least I will make some short-films or some feature films if possible. Because I love film, actually I won't abandon my dream to be a great filmmaker. I can not say that, I will drop my current job, being a future Doctor, and choose Filmmaking instead, but who knows, if I will be an International Filmmaker like Hollywood's filmmaker, so why not? :D Ha ha.... And I didn't mean I don't want to be Doctor, for sure I do, I also would love to be a great Doctor. I could say that I love both! He he... Is it possible being a Doctor-filmmaker?
