Fajarasia.co – Cambodian director Kavich Neang shared the story behind the making of the film “White Building”, the film that represented his country to compete at the 2022 Academy Awards for the Best International Feature Film category.
“This film is very personal to me. I lived there and then left the building in the 90s. A building can have its own story, how people live their lives in that building,” said Kavich in a virtual discussion with filmmaker Ifa Isfanyah at KlikFilm, Saturday (2/7/2022).
Kavich explained, the film “White Building” follows the story of Samnang, a young man in his 20s and his group of friends in a famous tenement housing block in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, called the White Building.
In this rapidly changing city, three boys practice dancing by dreaming of a television talent contest. Meanwhile, their parents lead a more traditional life.
Yet they all live in beautiful harmony and modernization is inevitable. Samnang understands that the stable environment he has always called home is now on shaky ground due to the evictions they are facing.
In this film, Kavich chose not to present famous actors.
“I decided not to invite actors who are already famous. It feels a surprise when people who are not professional play this film,” said the man who brought the film “White Building” to premiere at the 78th Venice Film Festival last year.
Kavich shared, the most difficult scene in this film is the scene on the motorbike.
“I didn’t take details of the conversation on the motorbike, because I just wanted to show my feelings. Because the actors are also not experts, and it’s a bit dangerous to shoot on the streets,” recalls Kavich.
“How many times does it take, it can take 20 times. I think it takes 10 each, but that scene is the most difficult, right. Because you have to show two angles,” he added.
Furthermore, Kavich hopes that his film can be watched by many people, including in Indonesia.
“When I make a film, I hope that many people watch it. I hope to have an impact on the audience and show their dreams. I was curious what people would think after watching this film, so I wanted to read the comments,” said Kavich.
The film “White Building” can now be legally watched on the KlikFilm digital platform starting July 1, 2022.*****
