Uniquely, I saw The Killing Fields in the presence of the producer, director and writer!

Back when I was reviewing movies for my university newspaper, the producers of The Killing Fields hit upon what I still think was a clever marketing ploy: they invited student journalists from universities and colleges around the country to a screening in Soho, London, followed by a Q&A with producer David Puttnam (Chariots of Fire and many others), director Roland Joffe (who went on to make The Mission before rather falling off the map) and writer Bruce Robinson (of Withnail And I fame). 

Of course, this was an opportunity I could not pass up, even though it meant a long trip. I remember being too nervous to ask any questions after the movie, but took away a bunch of photos and a large press kit.

As for the movie itself, I thought it was both shocking and hugely powerful. It is a remarkable true story about how a US journalist and his Cambodian interpreter survived the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. At the time, I knew very little about the horrors inflicted on the people of Cambodia during Pol Pot’s reign of terror, so the movie was eye-opening. 

Years later, I was lucky enough to visit Cambodia. It is a beautiful country, but I was struck both by the number of beggars missing limbs, and also that the women seemed to significantly outnumber the men – both no doubt legacies of the years of terror they had to endure.

Featured here are the cover of the press kit, a few of the many photos I collected from the screening, plus the French poster (where the movie was named La Dechirure (The Tearing). This is available to buy here.