The Haing S. Ngor Film Project
FAIN: TW-50343-14
Center for Asian American Media (San Francisco, CA 94103-2641)
Arthur Dong (Project Director: June 2013 to present)
Production of a 90-minute documentary film about the experiences of Cambodian physician and actor Haing S. Ngor during the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge and his subsequent life in America.
"The Haing S. Ngor Film Project" chronicles the life, times, and murder of actor and humanitarian, Dr. Haing S. Ngor, a Cambodian holocaust survivor who escaped to America and won an Oscar for his first acting role in "The Killing Fields." After his surprising win, Dr. Ngor continued to act and made the most of his celebrity to bring worldwide attention to the destruction of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge regime. This 90-minute documentary follows Dr. Ngor's journey - from a privileged life in Phnom Penh up to his 1996 murder in Los Angeles, a case still clouded with questions of transnational conspiracy. Told against a backdrop that reflects an interplay of history, religion, race relations, class struggle, and deep-rooted cultural dimensions, "The Haing S. Ngor Film Project" uses Dr. Ngor's dramatic story to engage a broad audience to better understand a still-evolving chapter of history.
Media Coverage
Killing Fields is Gripping Biography of Oscar Winner (Review)
Author(s): L. Kent Wolgamott
Publication: Lincoln Journal Star
Date: 3/3/2016
Abstract: Ngor’s story of survival, perseverance and love – for his country, its people and his wife – is touching, in a way uplifting, and, ultimately, sad. It couldn’t have been better told than it is in “The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor,” a film that needs to be seen as both a biography and the story of genocide and political upheaval in Cambodia decades ago that continues to impact the country today.
URL: https://journalstar.com/entertainment/movies/review-killing-fields-is-gripping-biography-of-oscar-winner/article_7557f68a-f1e4-5098-a84c-a714455a86be.html
The Life and Strange Death of the Khmer Rouge Survivor Who Won an Oscar, Then Got Murdered (Media Coverage)
Author(s): L. Kent Wolgamott
Publication: Vice
Date: 2/25/2016
Abstract: The controversy around [Ngor’s] death—and the remarkable achievements of his life—are charted in The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor, a film made last year by filmmaker Arthur Dong.
URL: https://www.vice.com/en/article/av39pg/remembering-the-khmer-rouge-survivor-who-was-killed-for-his-oscar-winning-role
Arthur Dong documents life of genocide survivor Haing S.Ngor (Media Coverage)
Publication: San Francisco Chronicle
Date: 3/12/2015
Abstract: "The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor" is Dong’s attempt to tell Ngor’s life story and that of Cambodia’s troubles through Ngor’s own words. To do this, he utilizes Ngor’s autobiography from the 1980s, archival footage and photographs, some helpful animation and entrancing narration: Ngor’s nephew, Wayne Ngor, who also survived work camps in Cambodia, speaks as Dr. Ngor.
URL: https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Author-Dong-documents-life-of-genocide-survivor-6130222.php
The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor tells story of love, survival (Media Coverage)
Author(s):
Publication: International Examiner
Date: 6/4/2015
Abstract: Incredible story from the killing fields of Cambodia to the red carpets of Hollywood.
URL: https://iexaminer.org/the-killing-fields-of-dr-haing-s-ngor-tells-story-of-love-survival/
Remembering Haing Ngor, The First Asian Actor To Win Best Supporting Actor For "The Killing Fields" In 1985 (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Mike Roe
Date: 3/10/2023
Abstract: Ngor was a Cambodian OB-GYN, who came to the U.S. after surviving torture and imprisonment at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. When he first arrived, Ngor worked as a security guard here in Los Angeles. At the time he was cast, Ngor was working as a caseworker for refugees in L.A.’s Chinatown Service Center. “He was helping refugees and immigrants settle into America. And he loved that work because he went through that process as well,” said Arthur Dong. Dong, a documentarian, wrote and directed The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor , working closely with Ngor’s family and combing through Ngor’s extensive personal archives.
URL: https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/remembering-haing-ngor-the-first-asian-actor-to-win-best-supporting-actor-for-the-killing-fields-in-1984
Associated Products
The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor: Webpage (Web Resource)Title: The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor: Webpage
Author: Arthur Dong
Abstract: Official webpage for the film, "The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor." Produced, directed, written, and edited by Oscar®-nominated and triple-Sundance award-winning filmmaker Arthur Dong, "The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor" is a singular documentary on one of the most well-known survivors of the Cambodian genocide.
Year: 2015
Primary URL:
http://www.deepfocusproductions.com/films/the-killing-fields-of-dr-haing-s-ngor/Primary URL Description: Produced, directed, written, and edited by Oscar®-nominated and triple-Sundance award-winning filmmaker Arthur Dong, The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor is a singular documentary on one of the most well-known survivors of the Cambodian genocide. It uses an iconic movie, The Killing Fields, as a springboard to combine history and biography into a dramatic transnational narrative. The feature-length film fuses animation with the spoken word, interlacing a rich palette of archival material. Anchored by an adaptation of Ngor’s richly layered autobiography, Survival in the Killing Fields (co-authored with Roger Warner), the film serves as a personal indictment of the global politics that were thrust upon Southeast Asia, and the consequences that continue to surface today as Cambodia grabbles with corruption, poverty, and the impunity of aging former Khmer Rouge leaders still at large.
The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor: Facebook (Web Resource)Title: The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor: Facebook
Author: Arthur Dong
Abstract: Official Facebook page for the film, "The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor." Produced, directed, written, and edited by Oscar®-nominated and triple-Sundance award-winning filmmaker Arthur Dong, "The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor" is a singular documentary on one of the most well-known survivors of the Cambodian genocide.
Year: 2015
Primary URL:
http://www.facebook.com/HaingNgorDocumentaryPrimary URL Description: Produced, directed, written, and edited by Oscar®-nominated and triple-Sundance award-winning filmmaker Arthur Dong, "The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor" is a singular documentary on one of the most well-known survivors of the Cambodian genocide. It uses an iconic movie, The Killing Fields, as a springboard to combine history and biography into a dramatic transnational narrative. The feature-length film fuses animation with the spoken word, interlacing a rich palette of archival material. Anchored by an adaptation of Ngor’s richly layered autobiography, Survival in the Killing Fields (co-authored with Roger Warner), the film serves as a personal indictment of the global politics that were thrust upon Southeast Asia, and the consequences that continue to surface today as Cambodia grabbles with corruption, poverty, and the impunity of aging former Khmer Rouge leaders still at large.