"La France est notre Patrie" (France Is Our Mother Country) is the latest film- documentary by acclaimed Cambodian film Director Rithy Panh on the French colonial empire. With a special focus on French Indochina, this creative and skillful work of editing weaves together archival footages and antiqued title cards into an eloquent silent movie that subtly criticizes the concept of "mother country" as promoted by the French colonies in Southeast Asia and Africa.
This film was an excellent historical document for Cambodian students to see. The Q&A session with Director Rithy Panh enabled him to explain to the students how working on this particular timeframe of Cambodian history (1863-1953) was different from making movies on the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979).
From left to right: Rithy Panh (Film Director), Sopheap Chea (Bophana Audiovisual Center Director), Krisna Uk (CKS Executive Director), Svay Sareth, Michael Davis.