Home › Culture › What's On › Exhibition › Photo Phnom Penh 2024 › Photo Phnom Penh 2024 | Sereyrath Mech

Festival Photo Phnom Penh 2024

Sereyrath Mech, When the Sun Reaches the River 

Friends Future Factory (F3) - November 21 to December 21, 2024 

When the sun reaches the river
Sometimes it heats up the river; other times it can flood the same river.
We cannot make the sun shine less, yet we can make it hurt us less. 
I met a man, and he said that we can benefit for a day, but we lose a lifetime to live.
When the sacred sun reaches the sacred river, we will know that we are not in control.

“When the Sun Reaches the River” depicts how rising temperatures can affect our lives in various ways, particularly for vulnerable communities with limited access to education, healthcare, and essential public services. For instance, the Lower Se San Dam II, built in Stung Treng province in 2014 and inaugurated in 2018, was designed to help meet the country's energy needs. In the meantime, the project led to the submergence of Kbal Romeas and Sre Pok villages, impacting the lives of these indigenous minorities in different ways. Some community members chose to relocate, while others decided to stay behind, seeking for new homes in the forest and denying not to use the electricity generated by the dam.

Intrigued by global warming and its impacts on human psychology, Sereyrath began to explore its impacts on human behavior changes and climate adaptation. Using an infrared device, Sereyrath aimed to capture noise and detail about heat in the human body, their expressions, and climate resilience.

Inauguration weekend from November 21 to November 24 in Phnom Penh 
Join us on November 21 at 6pm for the official launching of the festival at the French Institute!

>> Download the program Photo Phnom Penh festival <<

Download the program Download the program

Find Photo Phnom Penh on Facebook for more information. 

This year, Photo Phnom Penh is proud to present: 

• At the French Institute (until January 15, 2025): a retrospective of 60 photographers who took part in the Festival Photo Phnom Penh throughout its history, with works never before seen in Cambodia (Gallery); Ourng Sam Ang with "The Beloved Kampong Som" (Media Library); 
• On the wall of the French embassy: (until February 28, 2025): Vincent Fournier;
• At the SOSORO Museum (until December 21, 2024): Christine Spengler with "Retrospective";
• at Factory Phnom Penh : Jean-François Spricigo with "Retrouvailles", Aglaé Bory with "Two Series" & Alexandre Bergamini (until December 12 at the FT Gallery) ; 7 students of the École nationale supérieure de la photographie d'Arles, France (until December 21 at the Air Gallery by Sra'Art); 
• At La Plantation Urban Resort & Spa (until December 21, 2024): Chiron Duong;
• At Bophana Center (until December 21, 2024): Ly Sovanna with "Ranoch Visited Angkor";
• At Friends Future Factory (until December 21, 2024) : Mech Sereyrath with "When the Sun Reaches The River";
• At Phnom Penh Airports (until February 21, 2025): Kem Sovanna with "Landscape Sculpted by Light";
• At Studio Images - Maison de la Photographie: Soun Sayon with "Decay" (From November 22 to December 10); Mabe Bethônico with "One Traveller After Another" from December 10 to January 10).