Phnom Penh’s community cinema is reopening in a familiar neighborhood soon. We’re looking for a few people to lend us the money to make it happen — and get it back.
For years, The Flicks was where Phnom Penh went to watch films that played nowhere else. You watched in airconditioned ubercomfort, with great sound, a crisp clear big screen, and enjoyed marvelous popcorn and cold drinks. Then it closed. Blame Covid. Blame a landlord who suddenly wanted $2500 per month in rent. Anyway. We’re opening it again at a new location, and we’d like a small group of people to help us do it.
To be clear: these are loans, not donations. You’re not giving us money, and you’re not buying a share of the business — you’re lending The Flicks what it needs to open, and every backer is paid back.
What we’re building
A small, independent cinema lounge — one properly soundproofed and air conditioned movie room with a minimum of 28 comfy seats with a professional projector, a unique Dolby Atmos Surround System and a voltage-isolating UPS, and a little concession bar. Nothing about it is large, and that is the point. It is built to run quietly and to pay its own way from the first month it opens.
What backing means
We’re raising what we need from a limited circle of private backers rather than a public campaign. There is no equity to chase and no platform taking a cut. You choose how your loan comes back to you: a clean, full repayment in cash within 18 months, or a founders’ option that returns part of your money in cash and turns the rest into a Lifetime Founders Pass to the cinema (day passes will be $5).
The full terms, privately
The complete proposal — with the costs and the exact terms of both options — is a private document. Tell us a little about yourself below and we’ll send it to you. Requesting it commits you to nothing.
Request the proposal
We’ll send the full document to the email you give below.