It is only by reflecting on the past that one can create a better future.

S21' was a film about corporeal memory and how the same gestures repeated many times years earlier can be reawakened.

In all of my films, there is a desire to testify, to interrogate the past.

When the Khmer Rouge reached Phnom Penh, the first thing they did was to evacuate the population. Then they took over. The point of a revolution is to bring justice to the people, so even if you don't have proof of sabotage, you manufacture it.

I enjoy all mediums, and I have to say, music is the medium that first made me understand how powerful art could be.

I think of art as the highest level of creativity. To me, it is one of the greatest sources of enjoyment.

I think that as a director, especially when it comes to writing the script, which I also do, and I'm also the first one to visualize this story, I think contributing to the film industry means I'm able to take the best of a story and translate it well into a movie that can be released in theaters.

When I got into art school, I thought it was paradise. I wanted to be an artist so much that I was really driven and nothing could stop me.