Rithy Panh (Khmer: ប៉ាន់ រិទ្ធី) (born April 18, 1964 in Phnom Penh) is an internationally and critically acclaimed Cambodian documentary film director and screenwriter.
His first documentary feature film, Site 2, about a family of Cambodian refugees in a camp on the Thai-Cambodian border in the 1980s, was awarded “ Grand Prix du Documentaire” at the Festival of Amiens.
His 1994 film, Rice People, is told in a docudrama style, about a rural family struggling with life in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia. It was in competition at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, and was submitted to the 67th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, the first time a Cambodian film had been submitted for an Oscar.
The 2000 documentary, The Land of the Wandering Souls, also told of a family’s struggle, as well as showing a Cambodia entering the modern age, chronicling the hardships of workers digging a cross-country trench for Cambodia’s first optical fiber cable.
His 2003 documentary, S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine, about the Khmer Rouge’s Tuol Sleng prison, reunited former prisoners, including the artist Vann Nath, and their former captors, for a chilling, confrontational review of Cambodia’s violent history.
More post-Khmer Rouge events are documented in the 2005 drama, The Burnt Theatre, which focuses on a theater troupe that inhabits the burned-out remains of Phnom Pehn’s Suramet Theatre, which caught fire in 1994 but has never been rebuilt.
His 2007 documentary, Le papier ne peut pas envelopper la braise, delves into the lives of prostitutes in Phnom Penh.
(Text from wikipedia)
មានជនជាតិខ្មែរពូកែ ហើយល្បីខ្នាតអន្តរជាតិមួយៗ ពួកខ្ញុំចេះតែចង់ជួយលើកដំកើងហើយ។ អ្នកទាំងអស់គ្នាអាចរកមើលភាពយន្ត លោកពូរិទ្ធី ថតបាន ដោយគ្រាន់តែចុចលើរូបរបស់គាត់ខាងឆ្វេងដៃនេះ។ ពួកខ្ញុំទាំងពីរនាក់ជាbig fan របស់លោកពូរិទ្ធីតែម្តង។ អោយតែកុនគាត់ចេញម្តងៗ កាលនៅស្រុកខ្មែរ ខំសង្វាតរកមើលណាស់។ ពេលនេះ កំពុងចាំមើលថា ពេលណាបានកុនចុងក្រោយរបស់គាត់ រឿង Un barrage contre le pacifique មកដល់ Canada នឹងអាលនាំពួកម៉ាកនៅMontrealនេះ ទៅមើលអោយពេញរោងម្តង។
