#rob lemkin

[haverwood]

Chet Baker: Live at Ronnie Scott's Stephen Cleary, Rob Lemkin UK, 1986

[documentarychannel]

"Enemies of the People" Co-Director Threatened Over Follow-Up

Some stories are worth risking your life for, and this is the case for the continued investigation of the Khmer Rouge and their infamous Killing Fields genocide. Cambodian journalist and filmmaker Thet Sambath is currently working on a follow-up to the incredibly moving and eye-opening documentary Enemies of the People, which he co-directed with Rob Lemkin, and he's reportedly in peril as a result. At the moment he has suspended shooting because of health concerns likely induced by stress, according to The Guardian.

Tentatively titled Suspicious Minds, the new doc pursues an answer to why the atrocities happened, since Enemies took care of the what, where and how. Sambath's findings are so far quite revealing, and there seem to be implications of guilt beyond what has previously been understood and accepted. For instance, the film argues that much of the killings were not in fact masterminded by Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, but were instead the work of other party members in efforts to oust the dictator from office.

"The real story is politically huge," Sambath told The Guardian. "It will make everyone in Cambodia come out and talk, and the government will have to explain why they lied."

He adds that certain guilty parties, including members of the government, are concerned about the truth coming out and their reputation being destroyed. "I know too much about what really happened," he says. "They want me dead."

Threats to Sambath's life include instances in which he's been in car chases with armed pursuers. He's had to hide, move, use false identities and change his schedule in order to avoid harassers. A government spokesperson stresses that Cambodia is a safe country with freedom of expression, but recognizes that there are bad people, including policemen, everywhere on Earth.

Sambath and Lemkin, who is producing this time around, believe continuing the documentary is a "historical obligation" to Cambodia. "For Sambath, there simply is no other story," Lemkin told The Guardian. "This … defines his life and explains the experiences of his life. So he is prepared to never give up."

Hopefully he will be able to finish the film with no harm to him or his family. I recommend reading the full Guardian article for more on this project and Enemies, which was released on home video in the U.S. last month. See my review from 2010 here.

[H/T: Thom Powers and Alex Gibney]

[cambodianallianceforthearts-blog]

Enemies of the People

A story of a man’s 10-year quest to find the truth of the Killing Fields from the people responsible.