Can Cambodia’s censors keep a lid on its steamy social media?
Denny Kwan was barred from appearing in movies for a year after the country’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts deemed her style of dress had violated a code of conduct relating to “virtue”, but the culture war is far from over
When Cambodian actress Denny Kwan was banned from making films by the government, she faced an ultimatum: dress in a more traditional manner, or risk losing your career. In late April, the 24-year-old was barred from appearing in movies for a year after Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts deemed that her style of dress had violated a 2010 code of conduct relating to “virtue” and “ethics” in the Southeast Asian country. Kwan, who has appeared in many movies and has more than 300,000 Facebook followers, had also been called into the ministry a year earlier to be scolded by officials over her style of dress.
This is a cultural conflict that is at the heart of Cambodia, a country that has been changing rapidly, with access to the internet and foreign media skyrocketing. A December 2016 survey from the Asia Foundation and the Open Institute found that almost half of Cambodians owned a smartphone, rising from just one in five in 2013. The study also found that Facebook – where users can easily access entertainment and ideas from other countries – had become the nation’s top news source, putting it ahead of television, a medium easily censored and curated by the government.
Why are abuse claims in Cambodia’s war on drugs being ignored?
Though Kwan is believed to be the first entertainer attacked using the 2010 code of conduct, her case is certainly not the first time the government has taken steps to preserve Cambodian culture. In late 2015, the Ministry of Information banned the broadcast of any foreign-made films between the hours of 7pm and 9pm, a move intended to “restore Cambodian culture and Khmer movies”.
While politically sensitive films often face resistance from the government – I am Chut Wutty, a film about a slain environmental activist, was banned last year – provocative media meant more for entertainment also finds a way to draw the ire of officials.
Cambodian law dictates feature films released in the country must be approved by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Art’s film censorship board. Several years ago, The Wolf of Wall Street, an American film packed with sex, drugs and wanton cursing (the film uses the “f word” more than 500 times) faced opposition from the ministry, which deemed it had too many sex scenes. Depictions of homosexuality are also subject to vague censorship laws.