Driven by a desire to discover why the Khmer Rouge slaughtered millions of Cambodians in the late 1970s, print journalist Thet Sambath set out for the countryside to interview former members of the infamous rebel group. Over ten years later, after risking his family’s financial security and his own safety, Thet’s interviews have become the foundation for his documentary Enemies of the People, co-directed with Rob Lemkin.
The film highlights Thet’s conversations with “Brother Number Two,” Nuon Chea, Pol Pot’s closest aide, now awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. “In 1998 and 1999, people knew who he was, but most people did not know how powerful he was during that time,” Thet explains in a telephone interview from Phnom Phen.
Thet’s project started in 1997 as a book, but by 2000, the journalist had begun videotaping his interviews with Nuon Chea. He met Lemkin when the British filmmaker arrived in Cambodia to make a documentary about the Khmer Rouge. Lemkin interviewed Thet, and the two decided to collaborate on Enemies of the People. (A related book, Behind the Killing Fields, by Thet and Gina Chon, will be published on June 30 by University of Pennsylvania Press.)
The documentary, which includes chilling conversations with villagers forced into service with the Khmer Rouge, also recounts Teth’s own story. Three members of his immediate family were killed by the Khmer Rouge, although for many years he did not confess this fact to Brother Number 2, fearing that Nuon Chea would think he was seeking revenge.
Actually, Thet’s motivation was historical documentation, and that initial detachment led him to an incredible conclusion. “I forgive Brother Number 2, his children and the children of militia who killed the Cambodian people,” he says, “because they are now mothers and fathers themselves and they are the future.”
Two-thirds of Cambodia’s current population were born after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, but it is common knowledge among Cambodians that some government officials are former members of the party. “How can we have a future,” Thet observes, “if the people don’t know their history?” Attacked by villagers just two weeks ago before our interview, Thet remains in danger because of his continuing research on the Khmer Rouge.
The filmmaker, who appears on-camera editing his footage and speaking with Nuon Chea, confesses that he is uncomfortable with his status as a subject in Enemies of the People. In an e-mail exchange with Lemkin, the co-director admits to having to persuade Thet that it was the right decision for the documentary. “Sambath wanted the film to be just the record of his investigation, in other words just the testimony of Nuon Chea and the killers,” Lemkin writes. “He did not want to be in the film. I knew that really he was the center of the story and that without his personal development and family history the film would have no charge.” In May, the two filmmakers were in the midst of post-production on their next documentary, which Thet says “will explain all the reasons for the Khmer Rouge’s killing of the Cambodian people.”
The film highlights Thet’s conversations with “Brother Number Two,” Nuon Chea, Pol Pot’s closest aide, now awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. “In 1998 and 1999, people knew who he was, but most people did not know how powerful he was during that time,” Thet explains in a telephone interview from Phnom Phen.
Thet’s project started in 1997 as a book, but by 2000, the journalist had begun videotaping his interviews with Nuon Chea. He met Lemkin when the British filmmaker arrived in Cambodia to make a documentary about the Khmer Rouge. Lemkin interviewed Thet, and the two decided to collaborate on Enemies of the People. (A related book, Behind the Killing Fields, by Thet and Gina Chon, will be published on June 30 by University of Pennsylvania Press.)
The documentary, which includes chilling conversations with villagers forced into service with the Khmer Rouge, also recounts Teth’s own story. Three members of his immediate family were killed by the Khmer Rouge, although for many years he did not confess this fact to Brother Number 2, fearing that Nuon Chea would think he was seeking revenge.
Actually, Thet’s motivation was historical documentation, and that initial detachment led him to an incredible conclusion. “I forgive Brother Number 2, his children and the children of militia who killed the Cambodian people,” he says, “because they are now mothers and fathers themselves and they are the future.”
Two-thirds of Cambodia’s current population were born after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, but it is common knowledge among Cambodians that some government officials are former members of the party. “How can we have a future,” Thet observes, “if the people don’t know their history?” Attacked by villagers just two weeks ago before our interview, Thet remains in danger because of his continuing research on the Khmer Rouge.
The filmmaker, who appears on-camera editing his footage and speaking with Nuon Chea, confesses that he is uncomfortable with his status as a subject in Enemies of the People. In an e-mail exchange with Lemkin, the co-director admits to having to persuade Thet that it was the right decision for the documentary. “Sambath wanted the film to be just the record of his investigation, in other words just the testimony of Nuon Chea and the killers,” Lemkin writes. “He did not want to be in the film. I knew that really he was the center of the story and that without his personal development and family history the film would have no charge.” In May, the two filmmakers were in the midst of post-production on their next documentary, which Thet says “will explain all the reasons for the Khmer Rouge’s killing of the Cambodian people.”
No comments:
Post a Comment