MILANO, ITALY. Dear friends and supporters, we proudly inform you that Surviving Bokator reached a very special milestone in the world of sport cinema, achieving a win at the INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE recognized WORLD FICTS CHALLENGE (World Championship of Sport Cinema & Television). This finalist competition held at the 38th Milano International FICTS Festival, was against 970 other films submitted by 20 international sport festivals on 5 continents.
Surviving Bokator was awarded HONOURARY MENTION in the SPORT & SOCIETY – SPORT VALUES EDUCATION AND CULTURE – FEATURE category. This win for the film in world sport cinema competition, is a win for Cambodia and Khmer sport & culture.
In his remarks, FICTS General Secretary Enzo Capiello states, “Sport is culture and the promotion of positive values, dialogue, friendship. Sport unites, educates about tolerance, respect for rules, the opponent and fair play.”
“Your film “Surviving Bokator” – like the motto of the Federation “FICTS Is Culture Through Sport” – has managed to unite these priceless values… especially in having been able to highlight, through exciting filmmaking, the history of a nation like Cambodia claiming its cultural identity and national pride… this is an invaluable heritage for present and future generations and should be celebrated and disseminated as part of the cultural history of humanity”
In accepting the award, Mark Bochsler says, “For us the filmmakers, Surviving Bokator has been more than just a film, it has been a tremendous journey, and we are honoured to play our small role in contributing towards Cambodia’s cultural revival. Achieving this World Championship award at the IOC level, is an unbelieveable milestone. We are truly grateful to the FICTS Festival awards selection committee for recognizing the importance our film has in promoting its values and its unique contribution to sport cinema.”
We make this announcement on behalf of our stakeholder partners in Cambodia, The National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), the Cambodian Kun Bokator Federation and Kongchak Pictures. Since Surviving Bokator was launched in 2010, the NOCC has remained a close supporter, advisor and facilitator to the filmmakers and their team.
To celebrate we are making Surviving Bokator available to rent online in select territories for a limited period.
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/survivingbokator
