Three men orbit a mysterious helicopter crash that occurred years ago high in the mountains. As two men make their way up the slopes, an achar (shaman) deep within the forest recounts ancient rain rituals.
Original Title Oupatevak het tam phnom Year of production 2026 Length 21' CountryCambodia Shooting Format Digital Aspect Ratio 1.66:1 Dialogue Khmer
Director Savunthara Seng Producers Davy Chou, Daniel Mattes, Danech San Production Company Anti-Archive Writer Savunthara Seng Director of Photography Songsit Kasiroek EditorLinh Dn Sound Designer/Supervisor and Re-Recording Mixer Vincent Villa Music Lynn Nandar Htoo First Assistant Director Tana Hok Special Effects Makeup Artist Phanit Hing Set Decorator Chantha Mot Sound Recordist Sokha Hun DIT and Post-Production SupervisorYi Yeang Raksmey Props Master Chivy Meach Cast Reach Pich, Vankosal Keo, Vollak Kong
Director's Statement I wrote INCIDENT ON THE MOUNTAIN through descriptions of crimes, without any dialogue, and with specific details of the rituals that the early Khmers used to worship. Many tangents came out of it: covert military operations, elite crimes, government coverups, and research into ancient sacrifices. I tried to tie those elements into moments or points of contention between characters who represent the potential and possibilities of power. By contention, I mean that these people hold beliefs about something entirely unknown to us, possessing a knowledge only a few have. It has to do with “encounter” too, an experience that is bare and revelatory. It’s bound to mess with us, because we know we may be the first, and possibly the last, to have it. For me, the film is written through the knowledge of violence, ritual, and history which intermingle as narratives or myths passed forward. In the film, the preceding helicopter crash functions as a specific event, even a traumatic moment, that creates a mystery not meant to be solved, but which becomes a bedrock for myths to proliferate. All of it is human in nature: the disposition to bend or reimagine reality out of innate curiosity, with the truth always existing as something yet to be arrived at.
