Chaktomuk Short Film Festival 2026: Phnom Penh & Siem Reap

Led by festival director Sum Sithen, the Chaktomuk Short Film Festival (CSFF) celebrates its 15th edition in late 2026 with four days of short films from Cambodia and abroad. Taking its name from the historic Chaktomuk confluence where the Mekong, Tonle Sap, and Bassac rivers meet in Phnom Penh, the festival runs its flagship capital showcase from 30 October to 2 November 2026 before embarking on a provincial screening tour across Siem Reap, Battambang, and the coastal town of Kep through November and December. In 2026 the festival also partnered with the Cambodia Tourism Board, which its director describes as a move from a locally celebrated festival to an internationally connected cultural platform, and public screenings remain free to attend.

The Programme: Cambodian Voices and Global Shorts

CSFF has grown into Cambodia's premier launchpad for emerging directors, animators, and documentary storytellers, dividing its 2026 programme into accessible thematic blocks that welcome both local audiences and international visitors:

• Cambodian Short Productions: Domestic competition and showcase reels highlight a new generation of Khmer filmmakers exploring contemporary urban life, rural memory, environmental change along the Mekong and Tonle Sap, and folkloric storytelling rooted in local traditions.
• International Short Entries: The international slate pairs Southeast Asian neighbours with independent shorts from Europe, East Asia, and the Americas, screened with English subtitles so international travellers can follow every programme block with ease.
• Architectural Heritage at Chaktomuk Theatre: Opening and flagship ceremonies honour the legacy of pioneering architect Vann Molyvann, whose fan-shaped Chaktomuk Conference Hall on Sisowath Quay remains a celebrated landmark of New Khmer Architecture overlooking the riverfront.
• The November and December Provincial Tour to Siem Reap: Following the Phnom Penh awards, curated winning reels travel north to community arts venues in Siem Reap, allowing visitors exploring things to do in Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor to experience contemporary Cambodian cinema after sunset.

Connecting Cambodia's Film Circuit with Regional Indochina

Travellers weaving CSFF into an autumn Indochina route can link Phnom Penh and Siem Reap via express highway coaches or domestic flights, and connect onward to regional hubs including Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City. The festival timing also coincides with the end of the monsoon season, when river levels are high and evenings along the Mekong promenade are breezy and pleasant.

Venues, Free Public Screenings and Provincial Tour Access

• Phnom Penh Screening Hubs: Alongside ceremonial events at the Chaktomuk Conference Hall on the riverfront, daily short-film blocks screen across partner auditoriums such as Legend Premium Cinema (Exchange Square), Sabay Cinema, the French Institute (Institut Francais du Cambodge), and Meta House. Check the official site for the block-by-block screening timetable and venue addresses.
• Admission and Ticket Registration: In keeping with its mission to nurture local cinema culture, the majority of Chaktomuk Short Film Festival public screening blocks, workshops, and filmmaker Q&A panels offer complimentary entry or simple online seat registration; arrive twenty minutes before the reel starts to claim a seat in the auditorium.
• Catching the Siem Reap Touring Reels: If you are visiting northern Cambodia in November or December, check how to get to Siem Reap via Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI) and follow CSFF's provincial tour announcements for outdoor and arts-centre screening nights near the Old French Quarter.

• Target Thematic Short-Film Blocks: Because short-film reels group four to six titles into ninety-minute sessions, you can easily fit a late-afternoon Cambodian competition block between riverfront walks, Royal Palace visits, and dinner along Sisowath Quay without committing an entire sightseeing day to the cinema hall.
• Stay for the Filmmaker Q&A Sessions: Domestic competition screenings in both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap frequently feature live bilingual discussions with the young Cambodian directors, producers, editors, and sound designers in attendance after the closing credits roll.
• Use PassApp or Grab for Evening Cinema Transfers: App-based remork tuk-tuks provide transparent, fixed-fare rides between Sisowath Quay, Boeung Keng Kang, and partner malls in Phnom Penh, as well as along Wat Bo and the riverfront in where to stay in Siem Reap during the provincial tour dates.
• Bring a Light Layer for Air-Conditioned Mall Cinemas: Commercial multiplex halls and cultural auditoriums in Cambodia chill their screening rooms heavily compared to the warm tropical evening outside, so keep a light cotton shirt or scarf in your daypack for back-to-back short-film blocks and post-screening panel discussions.