The 'Unbroken' director is attached to helm, produce and write the movie adaptation based on author Loung Ung's novel about surviving the deadly Khmer Rouge regime.
- Jul 24, 2015
AceShowbiz - Angelina Jolie is set to direct Netflix's "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers", a movie based on a novel of the same name by Cambodian author and human rights activist Loung Ung about surviving the deadly Khmer Rouge regime. Jolie will also write the screenplay of the Netflix original film alongside the author.
Cambodian director and producer Rithy Panh will serve as producer alongside Jolie. The novel tells the true story of Ung. She was five years old when she witnessed Khmer Rouge did the terror and genocide which killed two million Cambodians.
"I was deeply affected by Loung's book," Jolie admitted. "It deepened forever my understanding of how children experience war and are affected by the emotional memory of it. And it helped me draw closer still to the people of Cambodia, my son's homeland," she continued. Jolie's Cambodian-born son, Maddox, will also be involved in the production of the film. The movie will begin production later this year in Cambodia.
"Films like this are hard to watch but important to see. They are also hard to get made," said Jolie. "Netflix is making this possible, and I am looking forward to working with them and excited that the film will reach so many people." The film will be released in both Khmer and English and will be available to members of Netflix in late 2016.
Jolie is currently in post-production of "By the Sea", which she wrote and directed. She also stars in the movie alongside her husband Brad Pitt. Jolie recently directed Universal's "Unbroken" which starred Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson and Miyavi.
