Meeting with Pol Pot

Meeting with Pol Pot
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRithy Panh
Screenplay byRithy Panh
Pierre-Erwan Guillaume
Based onWhen the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution
by Elizabeth Becker
Produced byCatherine Dussart
Roger Huang
Justine O.
StarringIrène Jacob
Grégoire Colin
Cyril Gueï
CinematographyAymerick Pilarski
Edited byMatthieu Laclau
Rithy Panh
Music byMarc Marder
Production
companies
Anupheap Productions
CDP
Distributed bySophie Dulac Distribution (France)
Westec Media (Cambodia)[1]
Release dates
  • May 16, 2024 (2024-05-16) (Cannes)
  • June 5, 2024 (2024-06-05) (France)
  • August 9, 2024 (2024-08-09) (Cambodia)
Running time
112 minutes
CountriesCambodia
France
Turkey
Taiwan
Qatar
LanguagesFrench
Khmer

Meeting with Pol Pot (French: Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot) is a 2024 drama film co-written and directed by Rithy Panh.[2] Starring Irène Jacob, Grégoire Colin and Cyril Gueï.[3] It is partially based on real events and on the book When the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution by Elizabeth Becker.[4]

Meeting with Pol Pot had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2024 in the Cannes Premiere section.[5] The film was selected as the Cambodian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[6]

Synopsis

Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) -- 1978. Three French journalists are invited by the Khmer Rouge to conduct an exclusive interview of the regime's leader, Pol Pot. The country seems ideal. But behind the Potemkin village, the Khmer Rouge regime is declining and the war with Vietnam threatens to invade the country. The regime is looking for culprits, secretly carrying out a large scale genocide. Under the eyes of the journalists, the beautiful picture cracks, revealing the horror. Their journey progressively turns into a nightmare. [7]

Cast

  • Irène Jacob as Lise Delbo
  • Grégoire Colin as Alain Cariou
  • Cyril Gueï as Paul Thomas
  • Bun-Hok Lim as Camarade Sung
  • Leng Thirith as Somaline Mao
  • Sovann Nhoeb as Chan
  • Paov Pitu as Ta Mok
  • Siden In as Chef d'atelier
  • Sophourn Has as Ieng Sary
  • Tithya Nouhem as The interpreter
  • Sok Sothun as The Old Man
  • Sokong Heng as Sikoeurn
  • Rithy Panh as Pol Pot (voice/silhouette) (uncredited) [8]

Release

It had its world premiere on May 16, 2024, at the 77th Cannes Film Festival,[9] then was released on June 5, 2024, in French theaters[10] and on August 9, 2024, in Cambodian theaters.[11]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Presse, Partenaire (2024-08-30). "Cambodge & Cinéma: «Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot» en route pour la 97e cérémonie des Oscars". Cambodge Mag (in French). Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  2. ^ "Cambodge & Cinéma : «Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot», une démarche nécessaire". Cambodge Mag. 13 May 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-08-31. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  3. ^ Waxman, Sharon (2024-05-16). "Meeting With Pol Pot Is a Lesson in Genocide". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 2024-08-30. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  4. ^ Adlakha, Siddhant (2024-05-16). "Meeting With Pol Pot Review: Reality Unravels in Rithy Panh's Haunting Historical Fiction". Variety. Archived from the original on 2024-08-30. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  5. ^ Ntim, Zac (2024-04-11). "Cannes Film Festival Lineup Set: Competition Includes Coppola, Audiard, Cronenberg, Arnold, Lanthimos, Sorrentino & Abbasi's Trump Movie — Full List". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2024-05-10. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  6. ^ ""MEETING WITH POL POT", a film by director Rithy Panh, has been chosen..." The Cambodia Oscar Selection Committee (COSC). August 30, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  7. ^ "Meeting with Pol Pot | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  8. ^ Khan, Faizal (2024-05-19). "Cambodian director Rithy Panh on new doc Meeting With Pol Pot: 'All revolutions have good intentions in the beginning'". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  9. ^ Durand, Manon (2024-05-16). "Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot, une fiction au service de la mémoire". Festival de Cannes (in French). Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  10. ^ "PREMIERE EXCEPTIONNELLE - CANNES 2024 : RENDEZ-VOUS AVEC POL POT de Rithy Panh, suivie d'une rencontre avec le réalisateur". Dulac Cinémas (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-30. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  11. ^ "«Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot»: le dernier long métrage de Rithy Panh". lepetitjournal.com (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-30. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  12. ^ "Meeting with Pol Pot | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2024-08-30.