Anti-Archive Showcases Ambitious Film Slate at Busan Market

Cambodian production company Anti-Archive has revealed an ambitious slate for 2025 and 2026, featuring a blend of domestic talent and international collaborations at the Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan. The announcement comes on the heels of the success of their recent film, “Becoming Human,” directed by Polen Ly, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2025 before making its Asian debut at the Busan International Film Festival.

The narrative of “Becoming Human” centers on Thida, a young woman’s soul that becomes a guardian spirit in an abandoned cinema. Her existence is disrupted by the repeated visits of Hai, a living man who becomes pivotal to her story. In sharing the vision behind the company, Daniel Mattes from Anti-Archive stated, “Anti-Archive was originally founded ten years ago to produce a new generation of Cambodian filmmakers, bringing their voices, stories, and perspectives to the world.” He expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming slate, which aims to present powerful depictions of contemporary Cambodian experiences while being mindful of historical contexts.

New Projects Highlight Cambodian Cinema

Among the notable projects is “To Leave, To Stay,” a film directed by Danech San and recognized as a project at Cannes La Fabrique 2025. This film, currently in development for 2026/27, tells the story of Mera, who travels with her friend Bopha to meet a soldier she met online. As the plot unfolds, Mera mysteriously disappears, prompting Bopha to search for her.

Anti-Archive’s short film offerings also reflect a diverse range of topics, including “Crab” by Kanitha Tith, “Fresh as Daisy” by Socheata Van, and “Earth & Us” by Sreylin Meas, all of which are in post-production. Additional short films include “Shadows” by Sreileak Prum, “The Night Seekers” by Kavich Neang, and “Ba Phnum” by Savunthara Seng.

Expanding International Collaborations

In a bid to broaden its international reach, Anti-Archive is engaging in several co-productions. One significant project is “Little Phnom Penh,” directed by Cambodian filmmaker Chheangkea and co-produced with NoMad Productions in France. Slated for release in 2027, this film spans two decades, narrating the life of a Cambodian woman as she navigates identity, family, and love against the backdrop of cultural upheaval from post-Khmer Rouge Phnom Penh to early 2000s California.

Another international collaboration, “Promised Spaces,” directed by Ivan Marković, is a hybrid fiction that explores the transformed cityscapes of contemporary Cambodia and the lives of construction workers and homebuyers. This co-production involves partners from France, Germany, Serbia, and Cambodia, including Bocalupo Films and Fiskultura Films.

Additionally, Anti-Archive is co-producing “Notes of a Crocodile,” a film directed by Daphne Xu, which is a collaboration between Canada, China, and Cambodia. The story follows a Chinese woman as she searches for her mysteriously disappeared ex-girlfriend, traveling from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville along the proposed route of the Funan Techo Canal.

The company is also backing the documentary “Backbone Shivers” by Mickaël Damperon, produced by L’image d’après in France.

In his remarks, Mattes underscored the company’s dedication to amplifying diverse voices in cinema: “They are united by their search for new cinematic forms and ways of speaking and expressing themselves. We work with filmmakers close to us as they take their first steps or continue their next projects beyond, and we also welcome collaborations with similarly critically-minded international filmmakers who bring their own perspective to shooting in Cambodia.”

Beyond film production, Anti-Archive is committed to nurturing regional cinema through initiatives such as Margin, an independent film magazine celebrating Southeast Asian cinema, and the Kampung Film Festival on Koh Sdach island, which was founded by filmmaker Danech San. Mattes concluded, “Across all the films in our upcoming slate of projects, we are proud of its diverse range of views, personalities, styles, and subjects, but we also find a shared commitment to cinema as a means to explore the world around us and to share that exploration with audiences in Cambodia and beyond.”