(Phnom Penh): Following successful screenings at international film festivals and overseas platforms, the documentary “LOOT: A Story of Crime and Redemption” is set to arrive in Cambodian cinemas on October 16, bringing to local audiences a powerful examination of the looting and trafficking of Cambodia’s cultural treasures.

The 87-minute documentary, which will be screened with Khmer subtitles, will be available at Legend Cinema, Prime Cineplex and Sabay Cinema.

Before its Cambodian theatrical release, “LOOT” was screened at a number of international film festivals, including the Cambodia Town Film Festival in Long Beach, California, and was made available through platforms such as GEM in Canada.

From remote Cambodian villages to leading art institutions in New York, the documentary investigates the multi-billion-dollar international art market and the trade in so-called “blood antiquities” that has resulted in Cambodian cultural treasures ending up in collections and museums overseas.

At the centre of the story is the late British antiquities dealer and scholar Douglas Latchford, who was accused of playing a major role in the trafficking of Cambodian antiquities looted during decades of conflict.

The documentary also provides access to people directly involved in the illicit trade, including “Blue Tiger,” a former child soldier who became a looter before later joining efforts to help recover and return stolen Cambodian artifacts.

“LOOT” highlights the stark economic inequalities behind the antiquities trade, recounting how Cambodian villagers and farmers risked their lives searching for valuable artifacts, sometimes in areas contaminated by landmines, while receiving only a fraction of the millions of dollars the objects could later command on the international art market.

The film also takes audiences behind the scenes of Cambodia’s ongoing efforts to recover its cultural heritage, including the return of artifacts from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in July 2024.

With thousands of Cambodian cultural objects believed to remain overseas, “LOOT: A Story of Crime and Redemption” presents both the human consequences of the illicit antiquities trade and Cambodia’s continuing efforts to bring its cultural heritage home.

The documentary will begin screening in Cambodian cinemas on October 16.
=FRESH NEWS