Film
Bonne Nuit Papa
Bonne Nuit Papa is a 2014 documentary by Marina Kem about her search for the story of her Cambodian father, Dr. Ottara Kem.[1][2] Its themes are reconciliation, farewell and attachment.[3]
Synopsis
Dr. Ottara Kem never spoke about his homeland, and his Cambodian origins and his silence made him a stranger to his daughter.[4] On his deathbed, he asked to be buried in Cambodia.[1] His wish set Marina Kem on an intense, poetic and conciliatory journey.[5] She traces his life against the history of wars and ideology, and at the end she finds a new family and reconciles with her roots.[1][4]
The film draws on snapshots, diaries and conversations with relatives and acquaintances, and it shows everyday life in Cambodia today.[6] Ottara Kem, Marina Kem and Thonevath Pou appear in it. Pou studied German in East Germany, moved to West Germany and returned to Cambodia in 2007.[6]
Production and release
Marina Kem wrote and directed the film.[2] It was produced by Sterntaucher Filmproduktion, a company she founded with Oliver Neis for the project, with NDR/Arte.[6][2] The countries of origin are Germany and Cambodia, and the film is in German, Khmer and English.[2] It mixes color and black-and-white footage, and its filming locations include Berlin.[2] It runs 101 minutes.[1]
The film was released in Germany on January 29, 2015, and in French cinemas on June 22, 2016.[2][3] It was an official selection of the 2015 Cambodia Town Film Festival in Long Beach.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cambodia Town Film Festival, CTFF 2015 OFFICIAL SELECTION: BONNE NUIT PAPA (archived)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 IMDb, Bonne Nuit Papa (2014)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 AlloCiné, Bonne Nuit Papa - Film documentaire 2014 (2016-05-09)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sterntaucher Filmproduktion, Bonne Nuit Papa: Inhalt
- ↑ German Films Quarterly, Bonne Nuit Papa
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Kunst+Film, Bonne Nuit Papa (2015)