Mysteries in the Archives

1978: Images of the Khmer Rouge (2x6)

Air date: Jul 09, 2011

In Phnom Penh, as elsewhere, there are no more cinemas and yet the Khmer Rouge are making many propaganda films designed to extol the merits of their regime. After Phnom Penh fell into the hands of the Khmer Rouge in April 1975, Cambodia found itself in complete isolation for three years. The Khmer Rouge are making a clean sweep of their past: the terror regime is closing all banks, all trades are banned, and there are no more cinemas. Film screenings are not held in the capital or anywhere else in the country, but the Khmer Rouge made numerous propaganda films to glorify their regime. But which audience are these productions aimed at, and who shot them? What can these images tell us about the Khmer Rouge regime today?