Meeting with Pol Pot (Rithy Panh, 2024) | 2026 French Film Festival

Screening as part of the 2026 French Film Festival

Jan 29 - Feb 13, 2026

Meeting with Pol Pot [Rendez-vouz avec Pol Pot]
(Rithy Panh, 2024, 112 min, France and Cambodia, French and Cambodian with English subtitles, DCP)

Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) – 1978. Three journalists are invited by the Khmer Rouge to conduct an exclusive interview of the regime’s leader, Pol Pot. The country seems ideal. But behind the Potemkin village, the Khmer Rouge regime is declining and the war with Vietnam threatens to invade the country. The regime is looking for culprits, secretly carrying out a large scale genocide. Under the eyes of the journalists, the beautiful picture cracks, revealing the horror. Their journey progressively turns into a nightmare.

This real-life journalistic excursion, based on true events detailed in Elizabeth Becker’s nonfiction book When the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution, is brought to life thanks to exemplary lead performances from Irène Jacob, Grégoire Colin, and Cyril Gueï, meticulously conjuring the sights and sounds of 1978 Cambodia with the assistance of archival footage and clay figurines. The result is a unique admixture—historical horror paired with a rich meditation on the impossibility of portraying it.

“A chilling historical drama rendered with impeccable sleight of hand, Rithy Panh’s Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot reveals its political dimensions through layers of obfuscation.” – Variety

“A period drama infused with strong thriller undertones. Beyond depicting the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge ... the film conveys a timely message about the crucial role of journalism.” – ScreenAnarchy
 

Screen/Society screenings are free and open to the public.

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