Rithy Panh, artist of honour
Upon invitation by the FIFDH, Rithy Panh took up an artist’s residence in Meyrin in January 2017, where he conceived an artistic installation of tremendous power: reflecting Geneva’s place as a city of refuge, he has given physical form to his latest film, Exile, selected in competition at the Festival. This monumental work of art, conceived from the light and shadow, tackles the tragedy of exile through videos, images, fragments, collage and other objects. Presented at the heart of the festival, and destined to travel the world, this installation includes numerous photographs sent by Geneva residents, allowing them to speak of their own exile by way of their most intimate memories.
A miraculous survivor of the Khmer rouge death camps, Rithy Panh found refuge in Paris before becoming one of the most renowned international filmmakers. For over three decades, he has been pursuing a major cinematographic oeuvre on the subject of the Cambodian genocide and memory through films such as S21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine, Duch: Master of the Forges of Hell and The Missing Picture, awarded at Cannes and nominated at the Oscars. Rithy Panh is also the author of L’Élimination, co-written with Christophe Bataille, a devastating autobiographical book that questions the foundations of evil and the birth of creation.
