Indigenous youth filmmakers from Cambodia and across Asia took center stage at the Second Namuncurá Short Film Festival, held in Kep in late December.
Organized with the support of ROOTS Asia and the Salesian Region EAO for Social Communication, the festival featured short films from Cambodia, East Timor, India, and Papua New Guinea, Agenzia iNfo Salesiana reported.
Organizers said the initiative reflects the mission of Don Bosco Cambodia to accompany rural youth and Indigenous communities by providing communication and creative tools that allow them to tell their own stories.
Top awards went to The Three Temples by Cambodian director Rith Soton, The Weaving of Identity by East Timorese filmmaker Dersiana da Cruz, and Ri Shongkun Shongnia by Indian director Khraw Kupar Kharrsyntiew.
Special mentions were given to Hope for Madang Lagoon by Dominic Pieng Jr. and Ceferino Namuncurá – Documentary by Cambodian filmmaker Rochom Lvan, films that organizers said express hope rooted in ancestral territories.
Festival organizers said the initiative aligns with the Salesian theme “Anchored in Hope.” Through its technical school in Kep, Don Bosco Cambodia has focused on education, vocational training, and youth empowerment as concrete expressions of that vision.
They also cited Pope Francis’ Jubilee message, which emphasized how the wisdom of Indigenous peoples enriches the wider human family.
Father Samnang Albeiro Rodas, director of Don Bosco Kep, said the next edition of the festival will be linked to the Second Media Communication Seminar for Asian Indigenous Leaders, scheduled for February 2026.
The seminar will focus on film and documentary production aimed at strengthening Indigenous leaders’ capacity to promote their languages, cultures, and territories.
“It’s not just about making films,” Father Albeiro Rodas said. “It’s about building a synodal community where indigenous voices are heard, valued, and anchored in hope.”
With support from the Salesian Delegation of Cambodia, the Don Bosco Green Alliance, and international partners, organizers said Don Bosco Kep continues to serve as a point of reference for rural youth and Indigenous communities.
As the year closed, the festival highlighted hope not merely as a theme, but as a lived reality expressed through Indigenous voices grounded in ancestral wisdom and open to the future.
