As I've always said, everybody wants to be in the Science Fiction and Fantasy business ... and with as popular as these films can be, who can blame them?
Such looks to be the case when even a country like Cambodia begins crafting films to push the boundaries of what's possible. This looks to be the case with the forthcoming Karmalink (2021), a feature that's enjoyed a bit of praise on the film festival circuit. This one drops for the masses-at-large in July, and I'll be looking into it should I be fortunate enough to obtain permission from the distributor. It definitely looks interesting.
Materials and trailer are below. You know what to do.
Such looks to be the case when even a country like Cambodia begins crafting films to push the boundaries of what's possible. This looks to be the case with the forthcoming Karmalink (2021), a feature that's enjoyed a bit of praise on the film festival circuit. This one drops for the masses-at-large in July, and I'll be looking into it should I be fortunate enough to obtain permission from the distributor. It definitely looks interesting.
Materials and trailer are below. You know what to do.
Conceived as a way to interrogate processes of neo-colonialism, and highlighting the alienating effects of technological progress, Jake Wachtel's KARMALINK is a mind-bending tale of reincarnation, artificial consciousness, and the search for enlightenment.
In near-future Phnom Penh, the rich and privileged are augmented with nanotech, and new skyscrapers crowd the skyline. In Tralop Bek, a tight-knit community threatened with forced eviction, 13-year-old Leng Heng is having vivid dreams of his past lives. He and his friends are convinced they are meant to find a buried Buddhist statue to save their homes, and they seek out help from a street-smart girl in the neighborhood, Srey Leak. Together they follow clues across town and into the past, uncovering a link with a genius neuroscientist on a quest for digital nirvana. As Leng Heng’s dreams converge on the present, his very sense of identity begins to unravel. When it becomes clear that the stakes are higher than they imagined, the two friends must decide how far they are willing to go to find their treasure and the truth.
American-born filmmaker Jake Wachtel began his career making short documentaries for nonprofits and social impact ventures working in the global south. His work has been featured on NYTimes.com, Wired, NPR, and MSNBC.
In 2015, he moved to Cambodia to teach a year-long class in filmmaking to children as a part of the Filmmakers Without Borders initiative. His Phnom Penh-set short film THE FOREIGNER HERE premiered at the Cambodian International Film Festival, and he has gone on to collaborate with many of the growing new wave of young Cambodian filmmakers. He also served as on-set editor for Jimmy Henderson's Cambodian-Chinese coproduction THE PREY. Phnom Penh became his home base for several years as he developed his first feature KARMALINK--Cambodia’s first sci-fi movie—set in the community where he taught and produced with a majority Cambodian cast and crew, including his former students.
Cambodia, 2021, 102 minutes, in Khmer with English subtitles
***OFFICIAL SELECTION: VENICE FILM CRITICS’ WEEK (OPENING NIGHT FILM), AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL, GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL and many more.***
KARMALINK will be released in the US Theatrically in major cities and on VOD in the US and Canada on Friday, July 15.
Director: Jake Wachtel
Cast: Srey Leak Chhith, Leng Heng Prak, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Cindy Sirinya Bishop, Rous Mony and Sveng Socheata.
Theaters include:
Lumiere Music Hall - Los Angeles, CA
Rialto Lakeside Elmwood - Berkeley, CA
Rialto Lakeside Sonoma - Sebastopol, CA
SIFF Film Center - Seattle, WA
VOD Platforms include:
US: Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, XFinity Cable, and more.
Canada: Apple TV/iTunes, Google Play.
ABOUT GOOD DEED ENTERTAINMENT
Good Deed Entertainment (GDE) is an Ohio based independent studio dedicated to producing, financing, and distributing quality entertainment for under-served audiences. Its distribution slate includes recent releases Summertime, Ma Belle, My Beauty, and Lucky Grandma, in addition to the Academy Award nominated, Loving Vincent, and Spirit Award nominated, To Dust.
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