Category: Night & Day

MON 25 | Rithy Panh’s latest, unscreened documentary “La France est Nostre Patrie” (“France is Our Homeland”) is the story of a failed encounter between two cultures with different sensitivities and fantasies. The film centres on colonisation marked by brutality, in which chaos and destruction could have been avoided. The film uses archive footage and carries the titular theme throughout. The film will be followed by a conference with Andre Malraux, creator of L’Indochine newspaper, but perhaps better known for having stolen statuettes from Banteay Srei temple, where he will discuss the complexities pertaining to claiming equal rights for colonised Indochinese and French colonisers. While the film will be in French, the conference will be translated to Khmer and English.

WHO: Rithy Panh & Andre Malreaux
WHAT: New Rithy Panh documentary screening & Andre Malraux conference
WHERE: Institut Francais, #218 St. 184
WHEN: 5:30pm (film)/7pm (conference), May 25
WHY: Rithy Panh is amazing. Always. Malraux just makes it even greater.

TUE 26 | Ballet is fast becoming a popular fixture in contemporary dance culture. On Tuesday night, the students of Dance World Cambodia will demonstrate this relatively new trend, showcasing a Western ballet piece that will be performed by both local and expat students, as well as a contemporary piece from the longer term students. Having presented five previous concerts, this 6th installment will be a celebration of sorts, with a retrospective look at past events through an additional poster display of DWC concerts since 2009. Opening with a ballet performance of a song from the extraordinarily popular Frozen and closing with an awards ceremony, this evening will be punctuated by vitality and happy vibes from beginning to end.

WHO: Students from Dance World Cambodia
WHAT: 6th Annual Concert
WHERE: iCAN British International School, #85 Sothearos Blvd.
WHEN: 6:45pm, May 26
WHY: Dance should be celebrated in all its forms.

WED 27 | Once again, Show Box puts their upstairs exhibition and performance space to excellent use this week, with Californian artist Greg Balster’s Contemporary Portraits of Asian Life exhibition. Using rich, vibrant oils and acrylics and balanced contrast between light and shadow, Balstar manages to recreate familiar scenes of everyday Asian life with an almost photographic accuracy and depth. And don’t be fooled by the title – these aren’t your average cookie-cutter tourist prints. Balster, who has resided in Cambodia for the last two years, draws from extensive experience, having painted and exhibited in galleries around the world. The guy knows his shit.

WHO: Greg Balster
WHAT: Painting exhibition
WHERE: Show Box, #11 Street 330
WHEN: 7pm, May 27
WHY: Come for the art, stay for the wine (or vice versa).

FRI 15 | After almost five years, the time has come for well-loved expats and champions of the Phnom Penh arts scene, Johannes Kast of Meta House and artist Sokuntevy Oeur, to bid us farewell. But before they jet off to Berlin, they aren’t leaving without one last hurrah. DJs Dr. Wah-Wah, Andy Freak and, of course, resident DJ Nicomatic will provide the music while the rest of us get all warm, fuzzy and reminiscent, and possibly find a dark corner at some stage to cry a little into our beer (free beer, apparently, so you can always get a new one). Let’s give ‘em one to remember and a reason to come back and visit.

WHO: Johannes Kast and Sokuntevy Oeur
WHAT: Farewell party
WHERE: Meta House, #37 Sothearos Blvd.
WHEN: 9pm, May 15
WHY: Because they’re worth it

FRI 15 | Everyone wants to be that kid who “liked it before it was cool.” This guy actually was that kid. Born in 1977, Swedish DJ known as The Outsider bought his first pair of Technics at age 14, and, because hip hop was yet to have any serious presence in Sweden, he followed his love of the music and everything associated with its culture to the very place it was born: the US. After having made a name for himself in one of the most competitive electronic scenes in the world, The Outsider moved to London in 2002, where he was a resident DJ at several clubs and warehouse party nights, often playing alongside house and techno pioneer Carl Cox, while also running his own weekly house music nights. Since 2010, The Outsider has been based in Bangkok where, between broadcasting podcasts and organising his Tech-Noir events, he has managed to squeeze in time to skip over to the little old Penh to unleash his perfectly crafted soundscapes.

WHO: The Outsider
WHAT: Swedish DJ
WHERE: Pontoon Pulse, #80 St. 172
WHEN: 11pm, May 15
WHY: He’s seen it all before. Let’s give him a night like no other.

SAT 16 | Because it’s never too early to get ready to party, D-Club are getting in on the action ahead of what’s bound to be a colourful, raucous and fun-filled Pride Week to come. Created with the folks from I Am What I Am, D-Club welcomes every kind of party-lover to celebrate at their Pre-Pride Party this Saturday. Dress up, down or any way around, and remember, a D-Club stamp will gain you free entry to Pontoon, for those who feel like carrying on until the wee hours.

WHO: Proud party people
WHAT: Pre-Pride Party
WHERE: D-Club, #3 St. 278
WHEN: 9pm, May 16
WHY: Every good show needs a practice run.

SAT 16 | We all love a good buffet, particularly if the food is quality and the price is reasonable. Here are two ways to improve an already winning idea: donate the money to charities in need, and add in a free glass of sangria. EATaly presents Cooking for Riel, a buffet dinner for a good cause that gets extra points for the terrible(/awesome) pun. Sure, there’s something disconcerting about the fact that stuffing our faces with free-flow Mediterranean food will somehow benefit those who are in desperate need of help and finances, but the fact is, this is one of those rare cases where you get to be a hedonist AND a philanthropist at the same time. Don’t question it, just enjoy. Only 50 tickets are available, so grab them at Meta House or make reservations via Mesterharm@nullgmx.net by 5pm, Thursday 14.

WHO: Big eaters with big hearts
WHAT: Charity buffet dinner
WHERE: Meta House, #37 Sothearos Blvd.
WHEN: 7pm, May 16
WHY: Don’t pretend like you don’t spend $15 on a meal every now and then. Make it worthwhile.

WED 20 | This month’s regular writer’s meet-up and open stage welcomes travelling poet Emily Weitzman and comedian Tony Morewood. New York-born Weitzman has travelled the globe as a teacher, performer and artist in residence at various arts organisations. Morewood identifies as a retired comedian, though the descriptor is questionable given that upon being re-inspired by our very city (you’re welcome), he’s now re-entered the stage with an all-new vigour and perspective. Since entering the comedy world in 1984, he’s worked alongside such comedy legends as Robin Williams, Steve Coogan, Bill Hicks, Eddie Izzard and Mike Myers, and performed at Edinburgh Fringe Festival – a show which won him the highly esteemed Herald Angel Award. Don’t forget in all the excitement that the open stage is preceded by a writer’s meet-up at 6:30pm, followed by featured writers at 7:30pm. And it’s all for free. Boom.

WHO: Emily Weitzman & Tony Morewood
WHAT: Writers meeting, open stage readings & comedy
WHERE: Java Café, 56E1 Sihanouk Blvd.
WHEN: 7:30pm, May 20
WHY: Does a literary art scene make a sound if there’s no one there to hear it?

WED 20 | This is a quick heads up for anyone who: a) hasn’t yet heard Mealea Sarawan’s impressive vocals, and/or b) Joe Wrigley’s acoustic wizardry. Every Wednesday in May, the delightful Ms. Sarawan takes to The Mansion’s stage with singer-songwriter Joe Wrigley, treating the crowd to an uber-chilled acoustic rendition of Golden Era classics. Think you’ve heard them all before? Not like this you haven’t. Get down soon or you’ll miss this month’s perfect answer to the mid-week wind-down.

WHO: Mealea Sarawan & Joe Wrigley
WHAT: Acoustic Golden Era Classics
WHERE: The Mansion – FCC, #363 Sisowath Quay
WHEN: 7pm, May 20 & 27
WHY: Live music ain’t just for weekends.

THU 07 | Perhaps you were blown away by his performance alongside local band Rats and solo vocalist/guitarist Sam Rocker at Rock Cambodia. Perhaps you know of him through his rather ambitious undertaking to document the Cambodian music scene. Perhaps you think he’s just some American nutter who’s here under a sweet guise to actually just hang out and have a rad time. Whatever he’s doing, it seems to be going down well. This time, EVRYWHR (the name he officially goes by – we asked) will be hosting a weeklong singing workshop, beginning this Thursday. He’ll be sharing his knowledge of singing basics, songwriting, stage presence and studio singing. The full workshop is a very reasonable $25, though different courses fall on different days. Call 093 801 380 or 017  861 393 for more info.

WHO: EVRYWHR
WHAT: Singing workshop
WHERE: Links Cambodia Musical Instrument Store, #52B St. 143
WHEN: 5pm, May 7
WHY: The city needs more live music. This is where it starts