FIFF to host ‘Graves Without a Name’

Award-winning Cambodian director Rithy Panh’s latest documentary film ‘Graves Without a Name’ is set to be screened in the Special Screenings section of the 37th annual Fajr International Film Festival (FIFF).

A continuation of the director’s probe into the crimes of the notorious Khmer Rouge Regime, the 2018 documentary narrates the story of a 13-year-old boy who after losing most of his family begins searching for their graves.

Alternating between poetic narrations and testimonies from survivors which happen to be great storytellers, the documentary aims to bring to light the lasting effects of the Cambodian genocide through an emphasis on the spiritual health of the victims.

A recipient of the 2018 FIFF’s Peace Award, Panh’s latest documentary represented Cambodia at the 91st Academy Awards, but fell short of receiving a nomination.

Panh whose family was expelled from Phnom Penh in 1975 by the Khmer Rouge Regime, graduated from the Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques (Institute for the Advanced Cinematographic Studies) in France. He returned to Cambodia in 1990, while still using Paris as a home base.

His first documentary feature film ‘Site 2’ was awarded Grand Prix du Documentaire at the Festival of Amiens in France.

His 1994 film ‘Rice People’ is a docudrama narrative about a rural family struggling with life in Cambodia. It was in competition at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, and was submitted to the 67th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, the first time a Cambodian film had been submitted to the Oscars.

His 2013 documentary film ‘The Missing Picture’ was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes Film Festival where it won the top prize. It won the Lumières Award for Best Documentary at the 21st Lumières Awards and was nominated for the César Award for Best Documentary Film at the 41st César Awards.

Since its establishment in 1982, the Fajr International Film Festival has played a vital role in the development of Iranian Cinema.

The 37th edition of the festival is slated for April 18-26, 2019 in the Iranian capital city of Tehran.

MB/FM