Cambodian Film "ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE" to be shown in NY this week

Dear Ms. Saw,

I hope this email finds you very well. I was reading your blog, and I wanted to be in touch to send you some information about a very powerful film on Cambodia that will be playing in the upcoming Human Rights Watch Film Festival at New York’s Lincoln Center from June 18-20. We are hoping that since the issues you work around are closely linked to those touched on in the film - that you might be able to help us to share information about the film to your members and supporters. We have a blurb for you to post:

“From June 18-20, Human Rights Watch International Film Festival will be screening ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in NYC. ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE follows filmmaker Thet Sambath as he uncovers terrifying personal explanations for the Cambodian genocide by allowing the perpetrators to speak for themselves. You can find more information at www.hrw.org . At all of the screenings of the film, the filmmakers Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath will be present to answer questions from the audience. Stephen Holden of the New York Times said ‘the story of Mr. Thet Sambath, who spent years researching and interviewing, is a testament to one man’s persistent search for the truth. The faces and voices of these ordinary people forced to kill raises the age-old question: Who, in the same situation, would have acted differently?’ (read more at: nytimes.com)”

We think your supporters would be interested in the film because it touches upon issues of social and national justice, as well as international reconciliation. With so much global attention on the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia – we hope that the film will teach and inspire New Yorkers to learn more about Cambodia and become more active in their communities.

We are hoping to have a strong audience for these special events and hope that you can help by spreading the word to your readers. We are pasting an HTML flyer below, which includes an image, ticket links, and information about the screenings. Please let me know if you need any further information on the film or have any questions, you can reach me by email at yees@hrw.org.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Best Regards,
Sterling Yee
Outreach Consultant
Human Rights Watch International Film Festival

	NEW YORK PREMIERE OF ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE + Q&A June 18-20, 2010 at The Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater

	Please join us for the New York Premiere of this astonishing documentary. Follow filmmaker Thet Sambath as he uncovers terrifying personal explanations for the Cambodian genocide by allowing the perpetrators to speak for themselves. We are delighted that both filmmakers Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath will be present for a discussion after the screenings. Find out more Presented in association with International Center for Transitional Justice andMargaret Mead Film and Video Festival SCREENINGS: Friday, June 18 4:00 | Invite friends Saturday, June 19 6:30 | Invite friends Sunday, June 20 1:30 | Invite friends All screenings are at the Walter Reade Theater 165 West 65th Street, New York, NY 10023 Find out more on www.hrw.org/iff
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Selling to the highest bidder: story of the discovery of Sean Flynn's remains

The remains [of Sean Flynn, son of Errol, pictured here] handed over to the US authorities in Cambodia were found by Briton Keith Rotheram and Scottish-born Australian David MacMillan more than two weeks ago. Reports say they were alerted to the location in Kampong Cham province in eastern Cambodia by a local man who claimed to have been a witness to the execution of a tall, blond foreigner. The witness claimed the foreigner had been forced to dig his own grave before he was battered to death.

The two men hired bomb disposal experts, a bulldozer and teams of local people to excavate the site in the village of Phka Dong, where they uncovered clothes, bone fragments and teeth. Contacted yesterday by The Independent, Mr Rotheram, who runs a guesthouse in the town of Sihanoukville, refused to answer any questions about the discovery, the full story of which, he said, would "be for the highest bidder"....

Yet the excavation of the site has been criticised by a colleague of the journalists who has led the search for them almost ever since they went missing. Tim Page, a British photographer celebrated for his work in Vietnam and other conflicts, said he believed a number of other foreign journalists may have been executed and buried at the same site...

"I have had hundreds of people contact me over the years about Sean and I'm always interested in what they have to say," Mr Page, who now lives in Brisbane, told The Australian. "But there is a very strict procedure to be followed when digging at a site of possible human remains, and in this case that has not been followed... It was not a forensic dig. They used an excavator and uncovered a full set of remains, which they removed from the site."

Photo and full story from independent.co.uk.