Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival Highlights

The Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival will officially open on September 19 with a powerful lineup. Organizers selected “Meeting With Pol Pot,” a documentary by acclaimed Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh, as the opening feature. The director will attend the premiere and guide a post-screening conversation with the audience.

The film recently represented Cambodia in the Academy Award race for Best International Film. It also gained recognition at several major festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, and Venice.

“Meeting With Pol Pot” adapts the 1986 non-fiction book “When the War Was Over,” written by journalist Elizabeth Becker. The story recounts her visit, along with two other reporters, to the Cambodian leader during the Khmer Rouge regime.

Rithy Panh has long examined the darkest years of Cambodia’s history. His 2003 documentary “S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine” explored state-sponsored torture and executions. In 2013, his film “The Missing Picture” combined archival materials and clay figures to represent atrocities. That film won the top prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section and later received an Oscar nomination.

Festival curator Yeh Tien-lun explained the importance of the new documentary. He emphasized that authoritarianism continues to affect the world today. According to Yeh, audiences can learn from past tragedies and find courage for current challenges.

The Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival will also feature screenings of Panh’s earlier works. From September 21 to 28, audiences can revisit both “S-21” and “The Missing Picture.” Meanwhile, “Meeting With Pol Pot” will also reach theaters across Taiwan on September 26.

The main festival program will run from September 19 to October 12 in both Taipei and Kaohsiung. The Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival invites filmgoers to reflect, remember, and confront history through cinema.