Screening at the Cinema by Velotel
“One of the most captivating films to celebrate its world premiere at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival. (..) Director Enrique Sánchez Lansch has tracked down incredibly rare archives to tell the true story of the kambodchian dictator Pol Pot’s past. Rehearsals and scenes from the dance form the core of Pol Pot Dancing – in a way, by honoring this art form, the film can be described as a reckoning with the dictator who nearly eradicated the artistic expression that is part of the world’s cultural heritage.” (DEADLINE)
The star dancer Chea Samy lovingly raises her pupil at the royal court of Cambodia. Years later, as a forced laborer for the Khmer Rouge, she learns with horror that her foster son has become the dictator Pol Pot. The film undertakes a cinematic and dance-based search for traces of the darkest chapter in Cambodia’s history and sheds light on the connection between Chea Samy and Pol Pot. Never before has the story of Pol Pot’s career and his relationship to dance been told. Chea Samy, who even enabled him to study in Paris, recognized him decades later as her foster son. Despite the horrors of his regime, she survived and saved Cambodian dance from oblivion. In the film, Chea Samy’s students follow her story through impressive dance scenes and reflect on the impact of the past and trauma on their country’s culture.
Followed by a film talk