A morning bus ride from Phnom Penh takes me to one of my favorite places to visit: Phare Art School.

Earlier this year they hosted comic artist Lisa Mandel.

I’m on a mission to collect comics for an upcoming Exposition at the French Cultural Centre, Phnom Penh.

This month I’m pleased to meet guests Marie Michel (an illustrator from Strasbourg)	and Sylvain Moizie (a comic artist).

 In addition to their own skills, they are exploring new areas of storytelling: this year they are creating Kami-Shibai,

a Japanese form of storytelling that is a visual narrative similar to comics. http://www.kamishibai.com/

Kami-Shibai may have prepared Japan to be the comics-crazy country it is today.

http://users.snowcrest.net/freemanl/world/storytelling/kamishibai.htm

Traditionally Kami-Shibai uses story cards, and a frame that the narrator uses.

A long scroll of paper can also be used.

many of the students in this workshop design long scrolls, which are then wound inside a biscuit tin.

With the help of teachers and artists Tor Vutha and Srey Bandol, the students prepare their stories.

Then they prepare the box to hold it,

and then it’s time to perform, complete with narration and sound effects!

Is it animation? Is it a film? Is it a comic? Yes and No! It’s Kami-Shibai!

  http://www.indiana.edu/~japan/kamishibai/teachkam.html

Bravo, students and teachers!

Click below for some very simple digital films.