Rithy Panh

Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé reveals his passion for cinema, Africa and the world to Cambodian director Rithy Panh.Read More »

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During the last half-century, Cambodia has witnessed genocide, decades of war and the collapse of social order. Now, documentary filmmaker Rithy Panh looks at an irreparable tragedy that is less visible, yet no less pervasive: the spiritual death that results when young women are forced into prostitution. Angry and impassioned, PAPER CANNOT WRAP UP EMBERS presents the searing stories of poor Asian women whose lives were violated and their destinies destroyed when their bodies were turned into items of sexual commerce.Read More »

Director Rithy Panh turns his attention from Cambodia’s deadly past (last year’s S21: Khmer Rouge Killing Machine) to its uncertain present in this portrait of the legendary temples of Angkor and of the people paradoxically creating a future out of its ruins. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angkor’s spectacular complexes provide a haunted stage for the laborers, peddlers, and holy men who exist within them. Workers piece together shards of statues and give voice to the stories carved upon the stones (if they can agree on what each image means, that is). Monks meditate in bullet-marked temples and narrate the histories of their gods. A farmer tours the murals with his fighting cock, revisiting the glories of old kings. For this “lost” city’s inhabitants, Angkor’s tales are never finished, its sculptures never silent. Intermingling their stories as subtly as a whisper, Panh creates a document of modern Cambodia, his camera carving out new legends with each story told.Read More »

Set in the newly-pacified Phnom Penh, Cambodia, this film is about the return to civilian life of Cambodian soldiers. Initially following three such returnees, the plot narrows to focus on Savannah (Narith Roeun), one ex-soldier trying to make sense of his new situation. He finds a home with his uncle, and they are the only remaining survivors of his once-large family. Despite its attraction and ubiquity, he decides not to turn to a life of petty crime, and instead tries to make his way as a kickboxer. Along the way he meets Srey Poeuv (Chea Lyda Chan), a 19 year-old bargirl who dreams of being rich and is ashamed of her status, in a dancehall. Initially, she resists his advances, but is swayed by the strength of his devotion and perseverance. His is the story of a damaged country trying vigorously to renew itself.Read More »

Three French journalists travel to Cambodia in 1978 after receiving an invitation from the Khmer Rouge regime, embarking on a perilous adventure.Read More »

Animals have enslaved humans and taken over the world. The statues of the past are gone and new ones are erected to suppress the will of the peopleRead More »

A troubled mother’s spirit crumbles when her adult children strike out for independence. Feeling abandoned she contemplates taking drastic action.Read More »

The Missing Picture (French: L’image manquante) is a 2013 Cambodian-French documentary film directed by Rithy Panh about the Khmer Rouge. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it won the top prize. It was also screened in the World Cinema section at the 2013 Cinemanila International Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury Prize.

The film has been selected as the Cambodian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, and was nominated.Read More »

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A film about people who have survived the irradiation of war and is recommended to those who believe they are immune to it. An extreme, necessary film that penetrates the eye and heart with unyielding force.Read More »