S21 TO LAUNCH NEW COLLABORATION
First Run Features and Human Rights Watch will collaborate to bring films dealing with human rights’ issues to a wider audience. The first of their collaborative efforts is First Run’s release of Rithy Panh’s S21:The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine, which opens in NYC at the Film Forum on May 19th.
S21 was a Cambodian prison where thousands were tortured and murdered by the Khmer Rouge after it came to power in 1975; in total, 1.75 million Cambodians were killed between 1975-1979. Director Rithy Panh, who lost his parents and a sister in the genocide, reconstructed the horrors from the testimonies of two survivers and various prison guards.
According to a jointly issued press release: “First Run Features and Human Right Watch will work together to bring the theatrical release of S21 and future titles to the attention of the public and media through joint marketing and advertising campaigns, including First Run’s newly designed Community Website. The collaboration will also culminate in a new line of DVDs from First Run called ‘Human Rights Watch Selects’, where films will be supplemented with extra features, including background information on subject matter, information on HRW as well as how to get involved in the issues addressed.”
