Venice Film Festival: Cambodian sci-fi ‘Karmalink’ to open critics’ week

The Cambodian sci-fi movie 'Karmalink' will open Venice Film Festival Critics’ Week. The movie marks the debut of director Jake Wachtel.
The sidebar competition willrun from Sept. 1-11 parallel to the 2021 Venice International Film Festival.

As per the THR, the movie is set in a near-future Phnom Penh — deals with reincarnation, artificial consciousness, displacement of poor communities and augmented reality.

The story follows a teenage boy who teams up with a street-smart girl from his neighbourhood to untangle the mystery of his past-life dreams. What begins as a hunt for a Buddhist treasure soon leads to greater discoveries that will either end in digital enlightenment or a total loss of identity.

The director began working on the film in 2015, while he was teaching filmmaking to youths in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. As the lead, he cast two students from his youngest class, Srey Leak Chitth and Leng Heng Prak.

The movie is produced by Valerie Steinberg for Valerie Steinberg Productions. The screenplay was penned by Jake Wachtel and Christopher Seán Larsen.