Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF)

Overview

The Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) is Cambodia's largest film festival. The 15th edition ran March 24 to 29, 2026, in Phnom Penh, presenting approximately 150 films from 40 countries including 60 Cambodian titles across 10 venues. All screenings and events are free to the public, with tickets available one hour before each screening on a first-come, first-served basis.

The 2026 edition opened with a ceremony at Chaktomuk Theater attended by 700 guests, presided over by Minister of Culture and Fine Arts H.E. Dr. Phoeurng Sackona. The festival is held under the high patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and receives support from embassies (France, Australia, Japan, Canada), UN agencies (UNESCO, UNDP), and NGOs including WWF and Oxfam. The 16th edition is scheduled for March 23 to 28, 2027.

For filmmakers, CIFF offers free public exhibition to Cambodian and international audiences, a rare model in the festival world. The festival's historical context gives it cultural weight: Cambodia had a vibrant cinema culture before 1975, producing dozens of films annually, before the Khmer Rouge systematically destroyed film infrastructure and killed or forced into exile most of the country's filmmakers. CIFF celebrates the recovery of Cambodian cinema while connecting Cambodian filmmakers with the international community.

Submission Details

Submissions for the 16th CIFF (March 2027) are accepted through FilmFreeway.

Submission deadlines (16th edition, 2027):

• Final deadline: January 19, 2027
• Notification date: February 14, 2027

Eligibility:

• The festival accepts feature and short films from all genres and topics
• No production date restriction, but the festival prioritizes films made in the last year
• Films should have Cambodia premiere status; Southeast Asia premiere is prioritized
• Films must be submitted via FilmFreeway

Submission fees: Fees are listed on the FilmFreeway page and vary by deadline tier. The festival does not charge separate category fees.

Admission policy: All CIFF screenings are free to the public. Tickets are available at CIFF counters on site, one hour before each screening. First come, first served.

Key Sections

• Stories in Cambodia (KHF) - new Cambodian feature films, including narrative fiction and drama
• Cambodia in Short (KHS) - Cambodian short film programs across multiple screenings
• World Stories / International Fiction (SI) - curated international fiction features and shorts
• Women Unbound: Stories from Every Corner (WOM) - films focused on women's stories and gender equality
• Beautiful Planet Explorer (BPX) - environmental documentaries and films from around the world
• Beautiful Planet Mekong Discovery (BPM) - environmental programming focused on the Mekong region, including Mekong Discovery Days at CJCC
• Beautiful Planet Indigenous (BPI) - films about indigenous cultures, part of the Water Land Forest event
• Cambodia Heritage Docs (DKH) - documentary films about Cambodian history and heritage
• Mondes Francophones (FRA) - French-language cinema, highlighted ahead of the 2026 Francophonie Summit in Cambodia
• Seeds of Peace: Lessons from the Past (PEA) - films exploring memory, resilience, and reconciliation, including Rithy Panh's Meeting with Pol Pot
• CIFF for Family - approximately 10 screenings tailored for children and family audiences

Special programs (2026 edition):

• Tribute to Michelle Yeoh: The Art of a Screen Legend
• Tribute to Uong Kan Thouk, a pioneering filmmaker of Cambodia's golden age, with screenings of her films at the Bophana Center
• Water Land Forest: a celebration of Cambodia's indigenous cultures and those of the Mekong region, organized with CIPO, CIPA, CIYA, and CIWA (March 29)

What Filmmakers Should Know

CIFF's free admission model means the festival does not generate revenue from ticket sales. The festival operates through a public-private partnership combining government patronage, embassy support, institutional partnerships, and private sponsorship. This model allows CIFF to reach audiences who cannot afford paid festival tickets, but it also means the festival's budget is dependent on institutional support rather than box office income.

The 2026 edition screened films at 10 venues across Phnom Penh: Legend Cinema Olympia, Legend Exchange Square, Fable Cinema, Sabay Cinema (Aeon Mall 1), Major Cineplex Aeon 1, the French Institute of Cambodia, the Bophana Center, the Rosewood Hotel Phnom Penh, and open-air screening locations at the Royal University of Phnom Penh and Walk Street (Riverside).

For international filmmakers whose work addresses Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge period, Southeast Asian history, or environmental issues in the Mekong region, CIFF offers particularly resonant audiences. The 2025 edition (14th) included a Virtual Reality program entitled Khmer Rouge Memory at the Bophana Center, marking the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge takeover.

The festival's emphasis on Cambodian premiere status means international filmmakers should plan their Southeast Asian festival circuit with CIFF as a priority. The festival also prioritizes Southeast Asia premieres, giving it a competitive position for regional first-showing rights.

The 2026 edition gave special attention to French-language cinema in anticipation of the Francophonie Summit scheduled for November 2026 in Cambodia, including a screening of Prince Norodom Sihanouk's La Joie de Vivre.

Major Awards

CIFF presents awards across its competitive sections, though the festival's free admission model and public-private partnership structure mean its awards carry cultural rather than financial significance. Specific award categories and cash prizes vary by edition. The festival's primary value for filmmakers is audience reach and cultural context rather than prize money.

The festival's programming structure emphasizes thematic sections (environmental, indigenous, heritage, francophone, women's stories) rather than traditional competition categories, reflecting its mission to use cinema as a lever for societal and cultural transformation.

Festival History

CIFF was founded in 2010 as part of Cambodia's ongoing cultural reconstruction. The festival emerged from the broader context of Cambodian cinema's recovery after the Khmer Rouge era (1975-1979), during which the country's film infrastructure was systematically destroyed and most filmmakers were killed or forced into exile.

Before 1975, Cambodia had a vibrant cinema culture with dozens of films produced annually. The recovery of Cambodian cinema since the 1990s has been gradual, supported by institutions like the Bophana Center (founded by filmmaker Rithy Panh) which preserves and restores Cambodian film heritage. CIFF celebrates this recovery while providing a platform for new Cambodian productions.

The festival has grown from a small local event to one recognized as the premier film festival in Cambodia and the ASEAN region by the Minister of Culture and Fine Arts. The 14th edition in 2025 presented 151 films from 41 countries including 60 Cambodian films. The 15th edition in 2026 presented approximately 150 films from 40 countries including 60 Cambodian titles, with the opening ceremony at the historic Chaktomuk Conference Hall.

The festival's public-private partnership model, combining government patronage from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts with international embassy support and institutional partnerships, has been cited by organizers as a unique bridge between the royal government, international institutions, civil society, and the creative industries. This model has allowed CIFF to maintain free admission while expanding its program across an increasing number of venues.

The 16th edition is scheduled for March 23 to 28, 2027, with submissions open until January 19, 2027.

See Also

For Southeast Asian cinema context, see International Film Markets. To calculate the return on festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For festival strategy guidance, see Film Festival Strategy. To estimate your probability of acceptance based on festival tier and film characteristics, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator.