Documentary Film on Sinn Sisamouth’s Music and Legacy Premiered at the 13th Cambodia International Film Festival
Caption: (L) This photo was posted by Elvis of Cambodia Facebook page on November 2018 with the caption “Filming in Stung Treng, the hometown of Lok Ta Sinn Sisamouth.” (R) Sin Setsochhata, the singer's granddaughter who is a singer as well and contributed to the film project. Photo: ThmeyThmey Digital Media
- By Top Vannara
- and Po Sakun
- June 23, 2024 9:00 PM
Phnom Penh — The documentary film “Elvis of Cambodia: The Legacy of Sinn Sisamouth does not focus on the legendary signer’s personal life but rather explores the historical significance of his songs and their impact that continue to be seen today in Cambodia. The film about the singer known as Cambodia’s “golden voice” also delves into how his songs have resonated and still do with Cambodians in the country while helping those living abroad to remember and connect with their home country’s life and culture.
“This documentary film isn’t entirely about Sinn Sisamouth’s life,” said Sin Setsochhata, the singer's granddaughter who is a singer as well and contributed to the film project. “We also conducted interviews with Cambodians living abroad, including those who have been in United States since [the late 1970s and 1980s]. They cannot connect their lives with their home country. But listening to the music can help them feel more connected, help them recall their history, and enable them to go back to being themselves.”
Done by film director Chris G. Parkhurst and producer Stephanie Vincenti, the film describes who Sinn Sisamouth is and how his songs and music bring up emotions and help people in their daily lives, whether they live in the country or abroad. This is not the first time Sinn Sisamouth appears in a film but, this time, he is the central person of the story, Setsochhata explained.
“The title ‘Elvis of Cambodia’ is not intended to lower Sinn Sisamouth's value,“ she said. “The filmmaker and producer aim to draw comparisons between Sinn Sisamouth's popularity and that of Elvis Presley, the American singer who was active during the same period in the 1960s and 1970s,” she said.
Parkhurst and Vincenti hope this title will help attract the attention of an international audience that may not be familiar with Sinn Sisamouth but will know the legendary U.S. singer, Setsochhata said. After all, she added, Parkhurst and Vincenti have spent 10 years gathering footage and images, and have worked closely with Sinn Sisamouth's family since 2013 to make this documentary, she said.
“I can’t say this film is perfect, but it is a starting point for the audience to see or study the artist’s background, Cambodia’s musical history and culture of the time,” Setsochhata said.
As for the way Cambodia’s audience may react to it, this film “Elvis of Cambodia” has the potential to draw audiences, she added.
The documentary film “Elvis of Cambodia” on Sinn Sisamouth will be shown for the first time during the 13th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) on June 25 at Chaktomuk Theater in Phnom Penh. The film festival will be held from June 25 to 30, and feature 150 films from 41 countries around the world, including Cambodia.
For more information on the Cambodia International Film Festival: https://cambodiaiff.com/
Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this story was translated by Chhuon Kongieng for Cambodianess
