Photo Phnom Penh Festival 2025
A Month of Photography, Memory, and New Perspectives
The 16th edition of the Photo Phnom Penh Festival returns from November 19 to December 19, 2025, transforming the Cambodian capital into a vibrant city-wide celebration of photography. Since its founding in 2008 by the French Cultural Center—now the Institut français du Cambodge—the festival has remained one of Southeast Asia’s most influential cultural events, dedicated to exchange, discovery, and dialogue between Europe and Asia. This year, the festival continues to support both emerging talents and renowned international artists, offering the public a unique journey through images, stories, and perspectives.
The 2025 edition brings together historical archives and contemporary creations, presenting a compelling visual narrative that spans more than half a century. One of the highlights is the exhibition of Micheline DULLIN, who documented Phnom Penh in the 1960s as the official photographer of King Norodom Sihanouk. Her rare aerial images capture key architectural landmarks such as the Olympic Stadium and the White Building—structures that have since vanished but continue to live on through her photographs.
The festival also commemorates a painful chapter in Cambodian history: the rise of the Khmer Rouge. Works by Roland Neveu, Philip Blenkinsop, CHIKURA Yukari, and Sylvie Léget will be presented in a special screening program that reflects on memory, trauma, and the duty to remember.
From a deeply personal perspective, Cambodian photographer KIM Hak brings his celebrated series Alive to the Bophana Center. Through intimate images of everyday objects carried by families during forced exile, he reflects on the resilience of the Cambodian people and their determination to rebuild. The exhibition continues his long-term collaboration with Bophana, a key institution dedicated to preserving Cambodia’s audiovisual heritage.
Environmental concerns play a central role in this year’s programming. French artist Letizia Le Fur presents a large-scale mural installation on the outer walls of the French Embassy—an historic refuge during the 1975 takeover—exploring themes of nature, freedom, and beauty. Swiss artist Laurence Bonvin contributes her immersive video installation Aletsch Negative, documenting the rapid transformation of the Alps’ largest glacier.
A major thematic exhibition, Metis: Exploring the Links Between Humanity and the Ocean, highlights the work of Cambodian artists KHIEV Kannel, KHUN Vannak, and SOVAN Philong. Created in collaboration with the remote coastal community of Avlatan, the project sheds light on environmental fragility and livelihoods threatened by change.
The festival also launches its first collaboration with the Photo Hanoi Festival, featuring Vietnamese documentary photographer THANH Hue with her series In Here Hanoi, exhibited in the gardens of the Institut français du Cambodge.
Throughout the month, Phnom Penh will be animated by exhibitions, outdoor screenings, music performances, talks, portfolio reviews, book presentations, and workshops—inviting visitors to explore the richness of Cambodian and regional photographic creativity.
Join us for Photo Phnom Penh Festival 2025 and experience a dynamic celebration of images, memory, and artistic vision.
