Cambodian Filmmaker Rithy Panh to Lead Locarno International Jury
The Cambodian filmmaker, known for documentaries that depict the traumas and slow social reconstruction of his country, will chair the International Competition jury that will award the Golden Leopard at the end of the 78th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, which will be held from August 6 to 16, 2025, CE Report quotes ANSA.
Celebrated worldwide for his deep explorations of Cambodian history during the Khmer Rouge dictatorship and the subsequent years, Rithy Panh has emerged as one of the most courageous voices in contemporary cinema and a tireless advocate for historical truth.
Since 1994, his feature films have given voice to victims of state violence.
His most recent film, Meeting with Pol Pot (2024), starring Irène Jacob and Grégoire Colin, premiered last year at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.
“Cinema gives us the chance to discover new perspectives, cultures, and stories,” explains Rithy Panh. “It requires patience, but rewards us with beauty. Cinema has the power to preserve memory, influence ways of thinking, and open spaces for reflection and escape. I deeply believe that the diversity of viewpoints and experiences enriches our understanding of the world. As jury president, I intend to highlight films that celebrate this diversity by opening up unique perspectives.”
“Rithy Panh,” comments Giona A. Nazzaro, artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival, “is one of the key figures of 20th-century cinema. His vision has reinvented the forms of contemporary documentary cinema, creating a historiography through images that has had an immeasurable impact on countless filmmakers. His passionate pursuit of truth, non-dogmatic approach, and genuine commitment as a privileged witness of our time—as well as his freedom in navigating the many forms of today’s cinema—led us enthusiastically to entrust him with chairing the International Competition jury. His creative freedom and fertile imagination are, to us, the best guarantee for guiding the competing works toward their encounter with global audiences.”
