RETURN TO YEAR ZERO?

By David A. Feingold

One of five David A. Feingold documentaries on Cambodia, recently released on DVD for public viewing by Documentary Educational Resources (DER), Return to Year Zero? focuses on Cambodia as the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Khmer Rouge approaches. As the Vietnamese prepare to pull out of the country after its 10-year stay to help secure and rebuild Cambodia, a high level of uncertainty and danger remains. The film takes a look into the villages and urban areas of Cambodia, drawing parallels to life during the Khmer Rouge and in the present. With streets once desolate and terror over-grown, Cambodia has finally begun to revitalise, as business and life returns.

Danger still remains, however, as threats of remaining Pol Pot supporters loom and landmines still exist in the quiet, rural fields, injuring innocent civilians daily. Return to Year Zero? features interviews with those most effected by the Khmer Rouge and its fallout, and delve into shared concerns of citizens as they struggle between rebuilding their lives in Cambodia or fleeing the country in search for a new sense of security. Weaved into this distressing story are images of a country filled with breathtaking landscapes, a culture featuring dance and the arts, and an in-depth look at a society that still stands tall.

More information, and a short clip from the documentary, can be found on the Documentary Educational Resources (DER) website:

www.der.org/films/return-to-year-zero.html