Swedish Ambassador attended first screening of “Jungle Guard”

Maria Sargren, Ambassador of Sweden to Cambodia in company with Youk Chhang, Executive Director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) at the premiere showcasing of “Jungle Guard” (Photo: Embassy of Sweden in Phnom Penh’s Facebook page)

Maria Sargren, Ambassador of Sweden to Cambodia visited the premiere screening of the documentary film “Jungle Guard” taking place on Monday, May 20 2019 at Wat Langka, a temple locating in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Apart from the Swedish Ambassador, the participants at the event included monks, students, university lecturers, diplomats and journalists.

In the association with the Swedish Embassy’s partner Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), “Jungle Guard” was produced by Phnom Penh-based Sleuk Rith Motion Picture and directed by Makara Ouch, a Cambodian filmmaker and photographer who has produced several short movies, feature films and also critically-acclaimed documentaries.

(Photo: Embassy of Sweden in Phnom Penh’s Facebook page)

A movement camera and drone were the cinematic techniques that Makara used most in his films to capture the natural beauty of Cambodia’s forest and its fertile resource as well as to portray the daily life of Cambodians in small cities.

The reason that the premiere screening of “Jungle Guard” was held in the temple was because it narrated the story of Monk Bun Saluth who created a campaign to protect a forest and its wildlife in Anlong Veng District from timber and wildlife thieves and illegal mining interests.

The documentary not only portrayed the life of an individual monk but also presented the inspiring life of a Buddhist monk community that has voluntarily took the role of protector and guardian of our natural habitat.

(Photo: Embassy of Sweden in Phnom Penh’s Facebook page)

According to Makara’s statement on Filmfreeway’s website, he expressed his hope for “Jungle Guard” to serve as a role model for others to study and learn from the monk’s effort and commitment.

“In particular, I anticipate that it will appeal to and inspire the younger generation to proactively engage in efforts to raise awareness of and to protect Cambodia’s natural forests, wildlife and fish populations from those who would exploit and destroy them,” he said.

About Nilobon Bantoey

Journalist • ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. • Bangkok Thailand

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