Video Collection

S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine

Category:

Genocide and Nationalism

In 1975-79, almost two million Cambodians lost their lives to murder and famine when the Khmer Rouge forced the urban population into the countryside to fulfill their ideal of an agrarian utopia. The notorious detention center code-named 'S21' was the schoolhouse-turned prison where 17,000 men, women and children were tortured, interrogated and executed, their "crimes" meticulously documented to justify their execution. Rithy Panh and his team undertook a three year investigation involving not only the survivors, but also their former torturers. One survivor, Vann Nath confronts his captors, some of whom were as young as 12 years old when they committed their atrocities.

Back to Alphabetical Video List