Cinema Adrift is a deeply resonant way to describe a cinema theatre that is currently navigating across time from the past
to an uncertain future.
Cinema is not just a place to watch movies, it is a vessel. Today, that vessel is unmoored. We find ourselves caught in between a century
of tradition and a future that is moving faster than a frame rate of a projector. We see glimpses of AI-generated content, virtual
reality, and 'day-and-date' digital releases. The uncertainty is not just about technology, it is about meaning. If a movie can
be seen anywhere, what makes the 'Cinema' special?
For cinema, the point is not the technology, it is the community. Theaters that survive will be the ones that act as
'curators' and 'hosts.' The future of a cinema is not just 'showing' a film, it is 'hosting' an
experience that cannot be downloaded. Cinema Adrift is not a tragedy, it is an odyssey. We are in the middle of a great transition. The
theater of the past is fading and the theater of the future is still being built. But as long as we still want to sit together in the dark
to see the light, the ship will stay afloat.
A project by Rochivorn THEN, a participant of the Asia Film Programmers Lab 2025 of the Japan Foundation.
Co-organised with Japan Foundation.
Screening Schedule
Cinéma Adrift // Exhibition "What if movie theaters disappeared?" (ការតាំងពិព័រណ៍ "ប្រសិនបើគ្មានវត្តមានរោងភាពយន្ត?")
