Studio Revolt

Studio Revolt is an independent artist run media lab that produces films, videos, installations and performance projects in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The media lab serves as a collaborative space for performance artist Anida Yoeu Ali and filmmaker Masahiro Sugano. Through his films, Sugano reconsiders cultural and political norms that have constricted our imagination and dulled our senses. Ali performs unapologetic poems and declarations of the self beyond fixed identities and borders. Together their works open up possibilities for people to exist outside of conventional narratives. Studio Revolt takes it a step further by urging viewers to become participants and stake their claim in this world.

Launched in Phnom Penh Studio Revolt launched in June 2011 during Anida Yoeu Ali’s U.S. Fulbright research year. While residing in Cambodia, the studio collaborates with emerging Cambodian and deported artists to assert a new generation of narratives. Together we will shape a new movement that frees Cambodian imagination and consciousness beyond war and poverty. This is not another school or NGO. We are artists working amongst some of the most creative people in the world. Media-based work does not mean more documentaries. Studio Revolt focuses on fiction and creative storytelling. With over 3,000 registered NGOs here, a culture of dependency leaves Cambodians with no sense of ownership. We want to see Cambodian people own their creativity, narratives, and ultimately their destinies. Imagination is a means to ownership. Fiction unlocks possibilities for the human condition. Cambodia needs narratives beyond the ones imposed on them through media practices they did not define or create. We do not want to just hand out tools or tell local Cambodians what is needed. Instead we would like to instill inspiration, desire, and esteem. We position ourselves as catalysts for collaboration and participation, not as leaders or experts. We identify as part of the unfolding contemporary narrative. We are here to co-own and collaborate.