The first Cambodia Studies conference in the U.S. will be hosted by NIU this week, according to a NIU Center for Southeast Asian Studies press release.

The conference, which is open to the public, will take place Thursday and end Sunday. Seventy papers drawn from various disciplines will explore the concept of imagining Cambodia, according to the Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

The conference opening will feature contemporary Cambodian photographs at the NIU Art Museum on Thursday.

Lost Loves, a feature film about the Khmer Rouge period, will be screened on Friday. Chhay Bora, the director of the film, will be available to answer questions after the screening in Cole Hall, according to the Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

A concert with music by Chinary Ung, an internationally-known Cambodian-American composer, will be held Saturday at Boutell Memorial Concert Hall, according to the Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

The conference will end Sunday with a trip to the Cambodian American Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial in Chicago.

For more information, email [email protected].