FILM SYNOPSIS
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During the 60's and early 70's, as the war in Vietnam threatened its borders, a new music scene emerged in Cambodia that took Western rock and roll and stood it on its head - creating a sound like no other.
Cambodian musicians crafted this sound from the various rock music styles sweeping across America and England, adding the unique melodies and hypnotic rhythms of their traditional music. The beautiful singing of the renowned female vocalists became the final touch that made this mix so enticing.
As the peasant Khmer Rouge army closed in on the capital city of Phnom Penh, Cambodian rock and rollers played at rooftop parties while bombs ignited the evening sky.
After taking over the country on April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge began one of the most brutal genocides in history, killing 2 million people - 1/4 of the Cambodian population. Intellectuals, artists and musicians were murdered simply for their status. Only a few miraculously survived to tell their story.
This documentary film, DON’T THINK I’VE FORGOTTEN, provides a new perspective on a country usually associated with war and genocide. By celebrating this powerful music, and the people who created it, Cambodia's musical heyday emerges from the shadows of tragedy into the light of history.
Director/Cinematographer John Pirozzi of Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten
Editor Daniel Littlewood and Director/Cinematographer John Pirozzi (of City of Ghosts, Broken English with Parker Posey, Sleepwalking Through the Mekong, and countless other music documentaries on The Ramones, U2, Yoko Ono etc.) making final cuts on Don't Think I've Forgotten, in their Tribeca studio, a labor of love for the last 7 years about Cambodia's lost rock and roll, with interviews expanding the globe (Paris, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Phnom Penh, Battambang etc.) with Prince Norodom Sirivudh, Prince Sisowath Panara, US Ambassador John Gunther Dean, historian David Chandler, Van Molyvann, Bob Muller etc.
I was deeply honored and emotional to watch the rough cuts - I remember being at half of the interviews conducted, e.g. the one with Prince Panara at my apartment on the riverfront, and to know that Sin Sisamouth was at Wat Champa after the exodus of Phnom Penh during the time we were there, and returned to Phnom Penh (to be killed) with my father!
What a BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT film! This film will do more to commemorate, to pay tribute, to document, to inspire than anything else I know out there right now. Not even the work of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal can leave deep impressions and positive legacy as this deeply inspired, deeply researched, aesthetically-made film which was conceived in 2001 and filmed beginning in 2003 – a labor of love of 9 years. The distributors who have seen the rough cuts enthused with excitement and praise.
John Pirozzi, while on this journey making this film, has become de facto the premier expert on Cambodian music and owns the most extensive and comprehensive collection of materials.
Don't Think I've Forgotten will introduce the world to a Cambodia not known before. I laughed, I cried, I remembered. I will not forget. We will never forget. NEVER.
The film needs approximately another $50,000 to finish and bring it to the international film festivals etc. The individual who can make this happens can claim the open position of Executive Director of this incredible film.
- Theary C. Seng, a DTIF fan (Manhattan, 18 Nov. 2010)
Artist Linda Saphan-Pirozzi, director/cinematographer John Pirozzi and their beautiful Italian-Cambodian-American daughter Sothea (namesake of Ros Sereysothea) in their Greenwich Village neighborhood (NYC, 20 Nov. 2010).
For additional information, please contact:
John Pirozzi
Tel: (323) 333-5476
email: johpir@yahoo.com
8 comments:
we viet nam believe Hun Sen- CPP and the last is the KING Sihanomi did a good job and a good leaders. they are working hand in hand. They are a good leaders and good followers to our instructions.
Also thanks to all our vietnamese brothers and sisters who sacrify their family to work in all level of officials in cambodia to keep it part of viet nam.
Youn nguyen ho fuck is part of khmer's killer include Ah kwak hun sen .
1:19 PM
Don't think, Mr Hun Sen lost his memory as Khmer born and lost Khmer blood.
Don't forget, we Khmer needed 1000 years to build the Khmer Empire with all Foundation of Khmer Identity for the next generation.
1000 years later , during the year 2000 we Khmer restart rebuild our Foundation and will not allow someone destroy our dream.
2:54PM
Very well said, I am very proud of you. This is the spirit of kaun Khmer of all generations.
This parasite 1:19PM has no spirit or soul, is running from post to post with cut and paste and cannot spell. He must receives Dongs or Riels in stead of dollars. See, you pay peanut you've got gorilla...oops I mean monkey.
I wish he understand what I've said.
I highly doubt ah lop 1:19 PM is a real viet but ah lop Khmer that pretends to be viet and say things to incite a rise from people since he himself doesn't like hun sen and very well knows many people here don't either.
A note to you: if you're really khmer and play this misleading game with a clown mask on, you are a sad and pathetic human being. Real men don't hide and manipulate. You are like a snake. Ah lop snake. Know that. It would be sad if in your daily life in the real world, this is how you go on pretending to be something just to manipulate things around you.
What a spineless animal you are
1:19 PM is a Khmer who tries to wake Khmers up, be a little bit smarter..
5:52 PM , I agree with you.
Whether 1:19 PM is real yuon or ah lop Khmer pretended to be ah youn.
As a Khmer I understand how you feel 5: 16 PM.
But it is good to have such comments on all of these blog because of 2 reasons as follow :
1. It tell the truth color and truth ambition of yuon , to them when they finish Lao, and Cambodia
they ( yuon ) will move on to Thailand. that is very truth for Ho Chi Minh Indochina Federation.
2. It is a good reminder to us as Khmer that we have to stop ah yuon communist ambition or we leave to ah yuon to do whatever they want to do to achieve Indochina Federation to put Lao and Cambodia under it yoke.
Thank you KI for posting patrs old-day songs and this interview. It refreshes my memory of my youth when I enjoyed singing a lot of our Khmer singers' songs of those days. I myself used to a singer and song writer and I sang my own songs, though not well known. One well-known song I wrote is Kolab Angkor in youtube.
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