By Vlad Zakh · December 27, 2025
Cambodia Drama thought provoking
Cambodian cinema was nearly wiped out under the Khmer Rouge, and its strongest modern films, led by Rithy Panh, are acts of reconstruction, recovering a national memory that was almost erased. The Missing Picture rebuilds a childhood under the Khmer Rouge with clay figures, S-21 confronts former guards and survivors face to face, and Rice People follows a farming family after the father’s death. Diamond Island, In the Life of Music and Golden Slumbers round out the list.
01 A filmmaker reconstructs his childhood under the Khmer Rouge using clay figures where no footage exists.
Directed by Rithy Panh · 1h 35m
Stream: Strand Releasing Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
02 Former guards and survivors of a Khmer Rouge prison confront what happened there.
Directed by Rithy Panh · 1h 41m
03 A Cambodian farming family struggles to bring in their harvest after the father's sudden death.
Directed by Rithy Panh · 2h 05m
04 A rural teenager working construction in the city drifts into Phnom Penh's wealthy nightlife, chasing his estranged brother.
Directed by Davy Chou · 1h 41m
Stream: Film Movement Plus Amazon Channel
Stream: Film Movement Plus Amazon Channel
05 One beloved Cambodian pop song threads together three generations across decades of war and renewal.
Directed by Caylee So & Sok Visal · 1h 32m
Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Amazon Video
Rent: Amazon Video
06 A documentary mourns Cambodia's vibrant pre-Khmer Rouge film industry, nearly all of it destroyed or lost.
Directed by Davy Chou · 1h 36m
Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.
