For the young generation, when they see that there is a film director from Cambodia to go on to be nominated, for them, a lot can change. I don’t know another way to restore our identity if it’s not art. Rithy Panh Read Quote
Cannes or Oscars is not only to bring happiness and recognition – they protect people like me. The world knows who you are. You can work. You can express. You can help other people. It’s not only the star system. It’s a symbol of freedom. Rithy Panh Read Quote
Evil has always been there; it’s always a part of us. Evil is no big surprise. But what about the people who gave freely, who stood up for human dignity? Even in the most extreme and terrible situations, these acts of dignity existed. And for me, that is the banality of good. Rithy Panh Read Quote
To find money to make a film, you have to write maybe 50 pages to explain what you’d like to do, what the film will be, but everybody lies. Because he doesn’t know what the film will be. Everybody writes 50 pages and sends it to a TV channel, a producer, to get money, but everybody lies. Or else your film is not interesting. Rithy Panh Read Quote
Film is subjective, and we must be careful with that. The kinds of films I love are those that observe, and I give possibility for people to talk. No need for me to tell people what to think – even when I make a film like ‘S-21.’ It’s only one point of view. It’s still a film; it’s not a tribunal. Rithy Panh Read Quote
When we pray to Buddha, we are not praying to a piece of stone, an image of Buddha, but we pray to the soul of Buddha behind the piece of stone. The souls of the people who are dead now are still with us. Rithy Panh Read Quote
Sometimes if you can tell one personal story with a lot of sincerity, it can become a universal story. Rithy Panh Read Quote
I am lucky to be a film director. I can create, express. It proves that I am still alive and the Khmer Rouge did not succeed in destroying me. Rithy Panh Read Quote
I think that, as a filmmaker, you’re always making the same film, regardless of how many different stories you tell. This is the case for me, whether I’m making documentaries or fiction films. Rithy Panh Read Quote
