From annihilation to archive: studying the use of film as histories in the Khmer Rouge narrative

• Main Author: Ian Izdeehar Ismail
• Other Authors: Goh Geok Yian
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Arts and Humanities; History; Film; Memory; Khmer Rouge; Cambodia
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/174410
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This thesis investigates the relationship between cinematic film and historical inquiry through the examination of films depicting the Khmer Rouge (KR) regime. Films used in this study were produced and screened from the 1980s to 2010s. The KR regime, under the leadership of Pol Pot, oppressed the Cambodian society and there were no traces of any historical evidence. Hence, this thesis argues that films on the KR regime served a critical purpose to trace their missing histories because of the regime’s oppressive policies. These films focus on individual experiences within the regime, using emotional engagement and personal identification to tackle the challenges of historical representation and accuracy. This paper understands the use of film as historical sources by understanding narrative construction and shedding light on motivations behind the productions of films. Next, this paper also critically analysed films, highlighting different themes filmmakers use towards navigating complexities of representing the KR regime and its impact on individual experiences and narratives, focusing primarily on fiction film and documentaries. Ultimately, this study contributed to a deeper understanding of how films, as a medium for historical inquiry, informs the ongoing discourse about traumatic pasts within societies and how it shapes collective memory.