Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - First They Killed My Father in the running for Oscar nomination

First They Killed My Father in the running for Oscar nomination

A screenshot from Angelina Jolie and Rithy Panh’s First They Killed My Father, which has been nominated as Cambodia’s entry for the Oscar’s Best Foreign Film category. Photo supplied
A screenshot from Angelina Jolie and Rithy Panh’s First They Killed My Father, which has been nominated as Cambodia’s entry for the Oscar’s Best Foreign Film category. Photo supplied

First They Killed My Father in the running for Oscar nomination

A Cambodian film may have its best chance yet at Oscars recognition, with the country’s submission for Best Foreign Film – Angelina Jolie and Rithy Panh’s First They Killed My Father – accepted for consideration.

The movie, which has been streaming on Netflix since last month with a limited release in theatres in Cambodia and the United States, and on the festival circuit in North America, is an adaptation of Loung Ung’s harrowing story of her family’s experience under the Khmer Rouge.

The film is among 92 currently under consideration in the category. The list will be whittled down to a handful of entries later this year, before the final nominees are decided in January 2018.

Among other requirements, “the submitting country must certify that creative control of the motion picture was largely in the hands of citizens or residents of that country”, according to the Oscars guidelines, and must also be in a language other than English.

Director and co-writer Jolie was granted honorary Cambodian citizenship in 2005, and the film was produced by Cambodian filmmaker Panh. It was also shot entirely in the Kingdom and in Khmer, and employed hundreds of locals.

Were the movie to win, the award would not go to Jolie or Panh but would be awarded to the country as a whole, under Academy rules.

After Cambodia selected the film as its Oscars submission on September 18, Ung issued a statement calling the news “emotional” and said the team was proud to “share this moment with the country”. Jolie added that the selection meant “a great deal” to everybody who participated.

“To work with local artists to bring this story forward has been a moving and humbling experience,” she wrote.

Khmer Rouge survivors react to First They Killed My Father:

MOST VIEWED

  • Ministry taking steps over Thai ‘replica’ of Angkor Wat

    The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has dispatched experts to inspect the ongoing construction of a temple in Wat Phu Man Fah, located in Thailand’s Buriram province. This temple appears to be a replica of Cambodia’s renowned Angkor Wat. The ministry said

  • Ream base allegations must end, urges official

    A senior government official urges an end to the allegations and suspicions surrounding the development of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, now that Prime Minister Hun Manet has addressed the issue on the floor of the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78). Jean-Francois Tain, a geopolitical

  • CP denied registration documents by ministry

    The Ministry of Interior will not reissue registration documents to the Candlelight Party (CP). Following a September 21 meeting between ministry secretary of state Bun Honn and CP representatives, the ministry cited the fact that there is no relevant law which would authorise it to do

  • PM to open new Siem Reap int’l airport December 1

    Prime Minister Hun Manet and Chinese leaders would jointly participate in the official opening of the new Chinese-invested Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport on December 1. The airport symbolises a new page in the history of Cambodian aviation, which will be able to welcome long-distance flights to

  • Minimum wage set at $204, after Sep 28 vote

    The minimum wage for factory workers in the garment, footwear and travel goods industries for 2024 has been decided at $204 per month, with the government contributing $2. Following several negotiation sessions, the tripartite talks reached an agreement during a September 28 vote, with 46 of 51 votes supporting the $202 figure.

  • Cambodian diaspora laud Manet’s UN Assembly visit

    Members of the Cambodian diaspora are rallying in support of Prime Minister Hun Manet’s forthcoming visit to the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) in the US’ New York City this week. Their move is an apparent response to a recent call by self-exiled former