TEHRAN – Cambodian documentary film director and screenwriter Rithy Panh, who is also the producer of Angelina Jolie’s drama “First They Killed My Father” about the experiences of a young girl whose family was torn apart by the Khmer Rouge, will receive the Peace Prize of the 36th edition of the Fajr International Film Festival. […]
TEHRAN – Cambodian documentary film director and screenwriter Rithy Panh, who is also the producer of Angelina Jolie’s drama “First They Killed My Father” about the experiences of a young girl whose family was torn apart by the Khmer Rouge, will receive the Peace Prize of the 36th edition of the Fajr International Film Festival.
“In his films, he has emphasized the need for peace in the world,” the organizers said in a press release published on Sunday.
Panh will attend the festival, which will take place in Tehran from April 19 to 27, to receive the prize.
In a career spanning about 30 years, Panh has directed over 15 films, including “Site 2”, “Cambodia: Between War and Peace”, “Rice People”, “The Burnt Theatre”, “The Missing Picture”, and “Exile”.
His movies focus on the genocide by the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. As a survivor of the genocide, he put the spotlight on his own story in “The Missing Picture”, was nominated for an Academy Award in 2014.
Due to Jolie’s Cambodian citizenship, “First They Killed My Father” was also selected as Cambodia’s Oscar submission last fall.
