CHAKTO PROGRAM — CHAKTO I & CHAKTO II

Following the success of the Chakto program in 2025, which was dedicated to supporting the cultural and creative industries in the fields of film, comics, dance, and music, the French Embassy in Cambodia and the Institut français du Cambodge sought to build on this momentum by dedicating a new edition to the performing arts.

This initiative responds to a strong ambition: to support the development of the Cambodian performing arts, contribute to greater visibility for the Kingdom’s contemporary creative works, and foster the emergence of new regional and international artistic collaborations.

From June 5 to 11, 2026, the Institut français exploring Phnom Penh’s cultural ecosystem. All discussions and performances will be conducted in French, Khmer, and English, with a strong emphasis on intercultural exchange.

This edition is part of the PICC Les Voix de la scène program, organized by the Institut français du Cambodge with the support of the Institut.

Contemporary Dance: What a Fate 2.0

Place : Institut français du Cambodge
Duration : 50 – 60 min
Director : Chumvan Sodhachivy aka Belle
Performers : Leav Chanlyka, Chy Lyna, Chun Baramey, Mom Manoy

We believe in karma: every action has consequences. This encourages us to be good, to perform good deeds, adopt a positive mindset, act kindly, and avoid harming others. By acting this way, we believe that good things will come back to us. In Cambodia, whether they live on land or on the water, people continue to believe in the customs and traditions of their community and pass them down from generation to generation, in order to lead a pleasant life, protected from harm, and to attract good fortune.

Contemporary Dance: Pak Din / Embroidery

Place : Institut français du Cambodge
Duration : 35 min
Director : Chanborey Soy
Performers : Soy Chanborey, Sokunthea Ros

Pak Din (Embroidery) highlights the challenges faced by Cambodian crafters in the performance arts. It connects traditional costume-making, particularly embroidery, emphasizing the craftsmanship linking younger and older generations. This multidisciplinary
dance performance weaves together film, music, dance, and interviews to showcase the resilience of dedicated individuals. The performance aims to remind every generation of the importance of supporting those in need, using contemporary dance to convey this vital message.

Contemporary Dance: RO NANG / Barrier

Place : Institut français du Cambodge
Duration : 20 min
Director : Vannak Vong
Performers : Touch sreythy, Chy Lina, Khem Sophorn, Hun reachsey

RO NANG (Barrier), with music by Lynn Nandar Htoo and Vincent Villar, is inspired by Vannak Vong’s coming-of-age experiences. The work explores internal states like fear, self-doubt, anxiety, and loneliness. Four performers from diverse movement backgrounds draw from personal experiences, using their own movement language. Through repetition, risk, and stillness, the performance examines the barrier as something internal and self-constructed,
tracing coming of age as an ongoing process shaped by vulnerability, resistance, and belonging.

Burning Mouth Syndrome

Place : Friends Futures Factory (F3)
Duration : 75 min
Director : LEO Sok
Performers : LEO Sok
Produced by Creative Generation

In Burning Mouth Syndrome, a daughter revisits fragments of her life, oscillating between everyday life and poetry. Through temporal, physical, and imagined spaces, an inner landscape explores the father-daughter relationship, dual culture, exile, and absence. This title expresses an urgency to dislodge the unspeakability at the back of the throat, allowing words to take flesh, inventing new rituals to resist forgetting, and weaving threads that bind.

Contemporary Dance: What a Fate 2.0

Place : Institut français du Cambodge
Duration : 50 – 60 min
Director : Chumvan Sodhachivy aka Belle
Performers : Leav Chanlyka, Chy Lyna, Chun Baramey, Mom Manoy

We believe in karma: every action has consequences. This encourages us to be good, to perform good deeds, adopt a positive mindset, act kindly, and avoid harming others. By acting this way, we believe that good things will come back to us. In Cambodia, whether they live on land or on the water, people continue to believe in the customs and traditions of their community and pass them down from generation to generation, in order to lead a pleasant life, protected from harm, and to attract good fortune.

Contemporary Dance: Pak Din / Embroidery

Place : Institut français du Cambodge
Duration : 35 min
Director : Chanborey Soy
Performers : Soy Chanborey, Sokunthea Ros

Pak Din (Embroidery) highlights the challenges faced by Cambodian crafters in the performance arts. It connects traditional costume-making, particularly embroidery, emphasizing the craftsmanship linking younger and older generations. This multidisciplinary
dance performance weaves together film, music, dance, and interviews to showcase the resilience of dedicated individuals. The performance aims to remind every generation of the importance of supporting those in need, using contemporary dance to convey this vital message.

Contemporary Dance: Sronoh / Snow White

Place : NCA Studio
Duration : 45 – 60 min
Director : Bob Ruijzen
Performer : Ny Lai
Auteur : Ny Lai, Khun Sreynoch (New Cambodian Artists)

NY&KHUN’s approach defines female empowerment and the evolution of Cambodian contemporary performance. Transitioning from New Cambodian Artists, the duo became an independent performance-art powerhouse. Their work moves beyond classical tropes to highlight the strength, complexity, and modernity of contemporary Cambodian women. Through a multidisciplinary approach merging live performance, visual arts, and film, they address socio-political themes. This bold storytelling challenges traditional gender roles, fostering a unique, modern cultural dialogue and earning international acclaim.