Film: Fight for Land Rights

Land rights are a touchy topic in Cambodia, it seems.

So much so, according to amateur filmmaker Tim Frewer, that in some cases locals found publicising the issue have faced shootings and even grenade attacks. Given the danger involved, 23-year-old Frewer is surprisingly relaxed speaking about the film he completed this year with fellow Sydney University student Greg Harriden, 21.

The pair travelled to Cambodia in 2005 to work with local non-government organisations, and were drawn into a country that, closed off from the world for two conflict-ridden decades, is now struggling to keep pace with the world they let in. Frewer and Harriden were so touched by the plight of the thousands of Cambodians forced off their land that they decided to document the locals’ story. The result is 10,000 Riel, Two Cases of Wine and a Silk Skirt, a raw, emotive collection of footage that frames the land disputes against the background of a country struggling to keep pace with the growing demands of the tourism and development industries.

“I guess when we went over there, and we just had the aim of getting some work experience with NGOs … these issues just kept coming up, and are really at the heart of development in Cambodia,” says Frewer. He says that despite Australia’s tourist and mining connections with the country, the contention surrounding Cambodian land rights is little known here.

The film is to be screened at The Fight for Land Rights, an awareness-raising event presented by AID/WATCH and featuring documentaries, speakers and filmmaker Q&As.

The Fight for Land Rights
Sydney Mechanics School of Arts, 280 Pitt St, Sydney
October 30, 6.30pm
Tickets: $10-15 at the door, www.aidwatch.org.au