Angelina Jolie is teaming with the Cambodian International Film Festival in an honorary capacity to support the event scheduled for December 4th through the 10th. 130 films from 34 different countries will be screened during the event.
Cedric Eloy is the head of the Cambodian Film Commission. He explained Angelina Jolie’s role in a statement, saying she will provide moral support and “bring attention to the rebirth of the Cambodian film industry” in her capacity as committee president.
Angelina Jolie will lead an honorary committee for the Cambodia International Film Festival https://t.co/WwXc9IGXLq pic.twitter.com/yUQbGERzCK
— People magazine (@people) November 25, 2015
“Cambodia’s rich history, long culture and talented people mean it has a huge amount to offer the region and the world,” Angelina Jolie said in a statement. “I’m proud to support the Cambodia International Film Festival and Cambodia as a home for vibrant and innovative filmmaking.”
Angelina Jolie founded two charities in Cambodia–the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation and the Maddox Chivan Children’s Center. Son Maddox Jolie-Pitt was born there.
Sons Maddox and Pax are helping Angelina Jolie film a movie in Cambodia right now. First They Killed My Father is a movie based on the memoir by author and human-rights activist Loung Ung about the brutal Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s. Maddox is helping his mother do research for the film and Pax is helping with some photography. The film will air on Netflix, and will be told from the perspective of a five-year-old who lived through the genocide during the Khmer Rouge period. Jolie believes it will help Maddox learn more about his heritage.
Angelina Jolie to Start Filming in #Cambodia's Biggest Tourist Attraction https://t.co/E36EnwTaTU pic.twitter.com/7qsdgggHdt
— TravelPulse (@TravelPulse) November 17, 2015
“This is a very important time for him to understand who he is,” Angelina Jolie said in an interview with the Associated Press. “He is my son but he is also a son of Cambodia. This is the time for our family to understand all that that means to him and to us. My desire to tell this story in the most truthful and accurate way possible will be my tribute to the strength and dignity of all Cambodian people.”