Angkor Awakens — An Inside Look at Cambodia
Details
Robert H. Lieberman | United States | 2016 | 1:25:00
Central Khmer, English with English Subtitles
From the celebrated team that created “They Call It Myanmar,” hailed by Roger Ebert as “one of the top documentaries of 2012,” a New York Times Critics’ Pick, comes…
Angkor Awakens: A compelling look at modern Cambodia — a society at a tipping point, where one of Asia’s youngest populations is rebuilding its culture and learning about its past. Director Robert H. Lieberman, a child of the Holocaust, begins by taking us back in time to explore the parallels between two genocides.
The film sweeps from the ancient Angkor Kingdom to today’s modern Cambodia. Through the use of shadow puppets, the viewer is led through the country’s tangled history. We discover how the CIA-sponsored ouster of King Sihanouk and the U.S. secret bombing of Cambodia led to the rise of the Khmer Rouge.
The film features key Cambodian players, including a rare interview with strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen. Journalists, historians, key US State Department officials and Cambodians both young and old reflect on a society emerging from a horrific past.
Angkor Awakens paints a moving portrait that helps us understand the past and the possibilities for the future as Cambodia struggles to emerge on the world stage.
Cast
Robert H. Lieberman
Writer
David Kossack
Producer
Deborah C. Hoard
Robert H. Lieberman