Pol Pot Dancing

A star dancer at the Cambodian royal court lovingly raises her husband’s little brother as her own son. Decades later, as a forced laborer under the oppressive rule of Khmer Rouge, she discovers that her foster son is none other than Pol Pot. The mass purges of the regime (spanning from 1975 to 1979 – Pol Pot annihilated 25% of Cambodia’s population) are intertwined with painful memories of the relatives of the bloodthirsty dictator, who today stage an impressive dance performance depicting an encounter between the leader of the Khmer Rouge and his foster mother. In this stunning documentary, valuable archival material is seamlessly combined with the images of the dancers, the traditional costumes, and the descriptions of the deep significance behind this major cultural expression of the Cambodian people, offering a flawless outcome, one that is profoundly melancholic, beautiful, and yet at the same time tragic. Art serves as pain relief for the greatest open wounds of History.

Other credits:

• Directed By: Enrique Sanchez Lansch
• Writers: Enrique Sanchez Lansch
• Producers: Arne Birkenstock, Laryssa Stone
• Cinematographer/DOP: Marcus Winterbauer
• Editor:: Julia Oehring
• Sound Design: Patrick Veigel, Solve Huse-Amundsen