Golden Slumbers

Details

< Synopsis>
Discover the unknown history of the birth and destruction of Cambodian cinema, from the first film ever made in 1960 to the arrival of the Khmer Rouges in 1975. In 15 years, about 400 films were produced. Only 30 films remain today. Almost all the actors were killed during the Khmer Rouges regime and only a few of the directors were able to flee the country. Most of the old movie theaters of Phnom Penh have become restaurants, karaoke places or squats. With a few of the survivors telling their stories, Golden Slumbers tries to bring back to life the myths and legends of this lost cinema.

<Credit>

Directed by Davy Chou
Director of photography, Thomas Favel
Edited by Laurent Leveneur
Sound: Vincent Villa
Music by Jérôme Harré
Producer: Jacky Goldberg
Produced by Vycky films, Bophana Production, Araucania Films

Year: 2011
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Country: France, Cambodia
Language: Khmer and French

 

Director

Davy Chou
Davy Chou is a Cambodian-French filmmaker born in 1983. In 2009, he established filmmaking workshops in four Phnom Penh schools and founded a collective for young Cambodian filmmakers. He also organized the Golden Reawakening festival in 2009 which celebrated the golden age of Cambodian cinema during the 1960’s and 70’s. GOLDEN SLUMBERS (2012), a documentary about the birth of Cambodian cinema in the 60’s, and its subsequent destruction by the Khmer Rouge, was his first feature-length film. It was selected for the Busan International Film Festival and the Forum at the Berlin International Film Festival, as well as more than 40 other international festivals. His short film CAMBODIA 2099 (2014), which takes place entirely on Diamond Island, in Phnom Penh, has been selected for the Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight. He is currently developing the feature film DIAMOND ISLAND, produced by Aurora Films, Vycky Films, and Anti Archive, the Cambodian production company he created in 2014 together with the filmmaker Steve Chen.