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| producer = Catherine Dussart
| producer = Catherine Dussart
| writer = Rithy Panh<br />Christophe Bataille
| writer = Rithy Panh<br />Christophe Bataille
| narrator = [[Randal Douc]]<br />[[Jean-Baptiste Phou]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moviepre.com/missing-picture|title=The Missing Picture movie (2013)|publisher=|accessdate=10 February 2016}}</ref>
| narrator = [[Randal Douc]]<br />[[Jean-Baptiste Phou]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moviepre.com/missing-picture|title=The Missing Picture movie (2013)|access-date=10 February 2016|archive-date=29 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129081718/http://www.moviepre.com/missing-picture|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| music = Marc Marder
| music = Marc Marder
| cinematography = Prum Mesa
| cinematography = Prum Mesa
Line 19: Line 19:
}}
}}


'''''The Missing Picture''''' ({{lang-fr|'''L'Image manquante'''}}) is a 2013 Cambodian-French<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/the-missing-picture-review-1200490158/|title=Cannes Film Review: ‘The Missing Picture’|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=30 May 2013}}</ref> [[documentary film]] directed by [[Rithy Panh]] about the [[Khmer Rouge]].<ref name="HWR">{{cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/missing-picture-limage-manquante-cannes-525380 |title=The Missing Picture (L'Image manquante): Cannes Review |date=23 May 2013|accessdate=23 May 2013|work=Hollywood Reporter|first=Neil|last=Young}}</ref> It was screened in the [[Un Certain Regard]] section at the [[2013 Cannes Film Festival]]<ref name="Cannes2013">{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/article/59652.html |title=2013 Official Selection|date=23 May 2013|accessdate=23 May 2013|work=Cannes}}</ref> where it won the top prize.<ref name="HWR-UCR">{{cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-missing-picture-wins-regard-558551 |title=Cannes: 'The Missing Picture' Wins Un Certain Regard Prize |date=26 May 2013|accessdate=26 May 2013|work=Hollywood Reporter|first=Rhonda|last=Richford}}</ref> It was also screened in the World Cinema section at the 2013 [[Cinemanila International Film Festival]] where it won the Grand Jury Prize.<ref name="PDI">{{cite web |url=http://entertainment.inquirer.net/126507/cinemanila-2013-winners-awarded-saturday-night |title=Cinemanila 2013 winners awarded Saturday night |accessdate=28 December 2013 |work=Philippine Daily Inquirer}}</ref> It won the Lumières Award for Best Documentary at the [[21st Lumières Awards]] and was nominated for the [[César Award for Best Documentary Film]] at the [[41st César Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/frances-lumiere-awards-winners-862906 |title=France's Lumiere Awards: 'Mustang' Takes Top Honors |date=8 February 2016 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2016/film/global/golden-years-marguerite-dheepan-mustang-lead-cesar-nominations-1201689761/|title=‘Golden Years,’ ‘Marguerite,’ ‘Dheepan,’ ‘Mustang’ Lead Cesar Nominations |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>
'''''The Missing Picture''''' ({{lang-fr|'''L'Image manquante'''}}) is a 2013 Cambodian-French<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/the-missing-picture-review-1200490158/|title=Cannes Film Review: 'The Missing Picture'|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=30 May 2013}}</ref> [[documentary film]] directed by [[Rithy Panh]] about the [[Khmer Rouge period (1975-1979)|Khmer Rouge regime]] and [[Cambodian genocide]].<ref name="HWR">{{cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/missing-picture-limage-manquante-cannes-525380 |title=The Missing Picture (L'Image manquante): Cannes Review |date=23 May 2013|access-date=23 May 2013|work=Hollywood Reporter|first=Neil|last=Young}}</ref> Approximately half of the film is news and documentary footage, while the other half uses clay figurines to dramatise the genocide's impact and aftermath on Cambodian people and society.<ref name="BBCMissing" /><ref name="GuardianMissing">{{cite news |date=28 February 2014 |title=The Missing Picture – review |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/02/missing-picture-review |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>


It was screened in the [[Un Certain Regard]] section at the [[2013 Cannes Film Festival]]<ref name="Cannes2013">{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/article/59652.html |title=2013 Official Selection|date=23 May 2013|access-date=23 May 2013|work=Cannes}}</ref> where it won the top prize.<ref name="HWR-UCR">{{cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-missing-picture-wins-regard-558551 |title=Cannes: 'The Missing Picture' Wins Un Certain Regard Prize |date=26 May 2013|access-date=26 May 2013|work=Hollywood Reporter|first=Rhonda|last=Richford}}</ref> It was also screened in the World Cinema section at the 2013 [[Cinemanila International Film Festival]] where it won the Grand Jury Prize.<ref name="PDI">{{cite news |url=http://entertainment.inquirer.net/126507/cinemanila-2013-winners-awarded-saturday-night |title=Cinemanila 2013 winners awarded Saturday night |access-date=28 December 2013 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=22 December 2013 }}</ref> It won [[Lumières Award for Best Documentary|Best Documentary]] at the [[21st Lumières Awards]] and was nominated for [[César Award for Best Documentary Film|Best Documentary Film]] at the [[41st César Awards]] as well as for [[Academy Award for Best International Feature Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] at the [[86th Academy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/frances-lumiere-awards-winners-862906 |title=France's Lumiere Awards: 'Mustang' Takes Top Honors |date=8 February 2016 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2016/film/global/golden-years-marguerite-dheepan-mustang-lead-cesar-nominations-1201689761/|title='Golden Years,' 'Marguerite,' 'Dheepan,' 'Mustang' Lead Cesar Nominations |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=27 January 2016 }}</ref><ref name="Oscar Nom">{{cite news |title=Oscars: Main nominations 2014 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25757345 |access-date=16 January 2014 |work=BBC News}}</ref>
⚫
==Overview==
This film recreates the atrocities of Cambodia ‘s Khmer-Rouge between 1975-1979 through animation, archival footage, and clay diorama figurines hand crafted by sculptor Sarith Mang. Rithy Panh was born in 1964, and at the age of 11 experienced first-hand the upheaval of the Khmer-Rouge takeover. Panh escaped to Thailand and later immigrated to France and enrolled in Cinema Studies and made a career in cinema. His filmography centered around the Khmer-Rouge, focusing on the genocide and the impact on Cambodia. Panh is searching for truth as he explains the process of a loss of cultural identity and how systematically Khmer-Rouge came to power and how the loss of culture impacted Cambodian’s everyday lives. Khmer-Rouge sought to re-educate Cambodians and purify them in revolutionary Socialism.<ref>Bradshaw, Peter, (2 Jan 2014) Retrieved from :https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/02/missing-picture-review/ref> Panh lost many family members, including his parents and his siblings and nephews. Panh claims he made this film to “find his childhood.” He states ”And my childhood returns. Now it is the boy who seeks me out. I see him. He wants to speak to me. But words are hard to find.”<ref>Zylberman, Lior (2014) "The Missing Picture - Film Review," Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal: Vol. 8: Iss. 3: 103-105./ref> In the film he describes seeing his father waste away, wanting to die rather than face the indignities of the brutal regime. The Khmer-Rouge erased identity and culture. Every citizen became a number and no longer had a name. Most Cambodians succumbed to exhaustion and starvation, but approximately 1.5 to 3 million people were killed.<ref>Dowd, A. (2018, July 20). The Missing Picture uses clay figurines to expose the horrors of history. Retrieved from https://film.avclub.com/the-missing-picture-uses-clay-figurines-to-expose-the-h-1798179797/ref> Rithy Panh uses the clay figurines to recreate the missing picture from his childhood. The visual novelty of the documentary resides in the first-person narration, which is given with the help of little clay figurines. Miniatures tell the story of hunger, fear, torture, death, dream and hope. They are set in the jungle, in rice fields, in private houses or in schools. This narrative device is brilliant, because it conjures up so many aspects of Panh’s youth. Clay figurines, like lead soldiers, are childhood toys, a childhood that Panh is seeking, “unless my childhood is seeking me.”<ref>Sion, Brigitte, Pacific Affairs, Vol 89, No 1. Retrieved from: https://pacificaffairs.ubc.ca/film-reviews/the-missing-picture-limage-manquante-by-rithy-
Panh/ Oct 6, 2020./ref> Panh also states "I seek my childhood like a lost picture," Douc says on his behalf in the film's opening voiceover. "Or rather, it seeks me." With "The Missing Picture," Panh sought—and found —his own hard-earned truth.” <ref>Lemire, Christie, (March 19, 2014) Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved at: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-missing-picture-2014/ref>


⚫
==Overview==
The Missing Picture seeks to provide the visuals for an era lost. Most of the films and photographs from prior to 1975 were destroyed. Nearly every camera after 17 April 1975, the day the Communists took Phnom Penh, was destroyed, as cameras were seen as an instrument of lies and propaganda by the new regime. Those images of dances, birthdays, evidence of human times, were gone forever.<ref>Greene, Robert. (April 25, 2018) Film of the week: The Missing Picture. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/film-week-missing-picture/ref> “Panh believes deeply in cinema and the restorative, communicative power of moving images.
The film portrays the horrors of Cambodia's [[Democratic Kampuchea|Khmer Rouge regime]] from 1975 to 1979 using a blend of animation, archival footage, and clay [[Diorama|dioramas]] by sculptor Sarith Mang. Director Rithy Panh, who lived through the Khmer Rouge's rise to power as a child, escaped to Thailand and eventually settled in France, where he pursued a career in cinema with a focus on depicting the genocide and its aftermath in Cambodia. Panh, who lost numerous family members to the regime, embarked on this film as a personal quest to reconnect with his stolen childhood.<ref>Zylberman, Lior (2014) "The Missing Picture - Film Review," Genocide Studies and Prevention: Vol. 8: Iss. 3: 103-105.</ref>


Through the narrative, Panh explores the loss of cultural identity inflicted by the Khmer Rouge, who aimed to forcibly reshape Cambodian society through radical socialism.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-01-02 |title=The Missing Picture – review |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/02/missing-picture-review |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> The film illustrates the erasure of individual identities, with citizens reduced to mere numbers and the suppression of their cultural heritage. Panh's use of clay figurines to fill the gaps in his memories adds a symbolic layer to the storytelling, evoking the innocence of childhood while depicting the brutal realities of life under the regime.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-03-13 |title=The Missing Picture uses clay figurines to expose the horrors of history |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-missing-picture-uses-clay-figurines-to-expose-the-h-1798179797 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=The A.V. Club |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fong |first=Christy |date=2015-03-23 |title=THE MISSING PICTURE = L'IMAGE MANQUANTE {{!}} By Rithy Panh |url=https://pacificaffairs.ubc.ca/film-reviews/the-missing-picture-limage-manquante-by-rithy-panh/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Pacific Affairs (UBC Journal) |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lemire |first=Christy |title=The Missing Picture movie review (2014) {{!}} Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-missing-picture-2014 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website= |language=en}}</ref>
The ultimate insult, then, is to see how the Khmer Rouge’s version of cinema was a total lie, a neutered version of events meant to sell the revolution to communist elites around the world – “those in Paris” as the voiceover angrily puts it – who directly or tacitly supported the Khmer Rouge and accepted at face value its covered-up monstrosity.”<ref>Ibid/ref> “At times Panh’s memory sickness is too colored with middle-class naivety: the pre-crisis era in Cambodia was much more complicated, of course, than the blissfully dancehall world he recreates with clay (he acknowledges as much by pointing out how the Khmer Rouge manipulated real class issues to gain power).”<ref>Ibid/ref>


''The Missing Picture'' serves as an attempt to reconstruct a historical period where photographic evidence is scarce due to deliberate destruction by the Khmer Rouge.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=25 April 2018 |title=Film of the week: The Missing Picture |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/film-week-missing-picture |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=British Film Institute |language=en}}</ref> Panh underscores the importance of cinema as a tool for bearing witness and preserving collective memory, countering the regime's distorted narrative with his own truth-seeking storytelling.<ref name=":0" />
Today, Panh actively teaches and mentors Cambodian filmmakers. In 2006 he started the Audiovisual Center Bophana. Audiovisual Center Bophana was opened on December 4, 2006 in Phnom Penh Cambodia. Partnering with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, the National Audiovisual Institute, the Thomson Foundation for the Cinematic and Television Heritage, The International Francophonie Organization, The French Ministry of Culture and Communication; The National Center for the Cinema and UNESCO, the Center not only collects images and sounds of the Cambodian memory and makes them available to a wide public, but also trains Cambodians in the audiovisual professions by welcoming foreign film productions and its own artistic projects.<ref>Rosenberg, Scott.(2006). Retrieved from M & C Movies at: https://web.archive.org/web/20070929130345/http://movies.monstersandcritics.com/features/article_1234058.php/Exclusive_interview_Cambodian_film_director_Rithy_Panh_%96_%93Angelina_Jolie_come_visit_the_Audiovisual_Center_Bophana!%94/ref>


Despite acknowledging the complexities of pre-crisis Cambodia, Panh's film captures the essence of his lived experience, offering a testament to resilience and the pursuit of truth. Beyond filmmaking, Panh is dedicated to nurturing Cambodian talent in the audiovisual arts, as evidenced by his establishment of the [[Bophana Center|Audiovisual Center Bophana]], which serves as both a repository of Cambodian memory and a training ground for aspiring filmmakers.<ref>Rosenberg, Scott.(2006). Retrieved from M & C Movies at: https://web.archive.org/web/20070929130345/http://movies.monstersandcritics.com/features/article_1234058.php/Exclusive_interview_Cambodian_film_director_Rithy_Panh_%96_%93Angelina_Jolie_come_visit_the_Audiovisual_Center_Bophana!%94</ref>
The film was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] at the [[86th Academy Awards]].<ref name="Oscar Nom">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25757345 |title=Oscars: Main nominations 2014 |accessdate=16 January 2014 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Approximately half of the film is news and documentary footage, while the other half uses clay figurines to dramatise what happened in Cambodia when [[Pol Pot]] came to power.<ref name="BBCMissing" /><ref name="GuardianMissing">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/02/missing-picture-review |title=The Missing Picture – review |newspaper=The Guardian |date=28 February 2014}}</ref>


==Cast==
==Cast==
* Randal Douc as the narrator (original French version)
* Randal Douc as the narrator (original French version)
* Jean-Baptiste Phou (English version)<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-missing-picture-review20131004,0,4718418.story#axzz2uiIX1jum | work=Los Angeles Times | first1=Kenneth | last1=Turan | title=Review: 'The Missing Picture' a poetic study of Khmer Rouge horrors | date=3 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://twitchfilm.com/2013/10/new-york-film-fest-2013-review-the-missing-picture-a-hauntingly-poetic-work-of-emotional-and-histori.html|title=New York Film Fest 2013 Review: THE MISSING PICTURE, A Hauntingly Poetic Work of Emotional and Historical Archeology|author=Christopher Bourne|work=TwitchFilm|accessdate=10 February 2016|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182038/http://twitchfilm.com/2013/10/new-york-film-fest-2013-review-the-missing-picture-a-hauntingly-poetic-work-of-emotional-and-histori.html|archivedate=3 March 2016}}</ref>
* Jean-Baptiste Phou (English version)<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-missing-picture-review20131004,0,4718418.story#axzz2uiIX1jum | work=Los Angeles Times | first1=Kenneth | last1=Turan | title=Review: 'The Missing Picture' a poetic study of Khmer Rouge horrors | date=3 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://twitchfilm.com/2013/10/new-york-film-fest-2013-review-the-missing-picture-a-hauntingly-poetic-work-of-emotional-and-histori.html|title=New York Film Fest 2013 Review: THE MISSING PICTURE, A Hauntingly Poetic Work of Emotional and Historical Archeology|first=Christopher|last=Bourne|work=TwitchFilm|access-date=10 February 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182038/http://twitchfilm.com/2013/10/new-york-film-fest-2013-review-the-missing-picture-a-hauntingly-poetic-work-of-emotional-and-histori.html|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref>


==Reception==
==Reception==
⚫
''The Missing Picture'' has an approval rating of 99% on [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 88 reviews, and an average rating of 8.26/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Thrillingly unorthodox and emotionally searing without being didactic, ''The Missing Picture'' is a uniquely poignant documentary -- and so much more".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_missing_picture|title=The Missing Picture (2014)|via=www.rottentomatoes.com |access-date=10 October 2020}}</ref> It also has a score of 87 out of 100 on [[Metacritic]], based on 23 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-missing-picture|title=The Missing Picture|via=www.metacritic.com|access-date=10 October 2020}}</ref>
===Critical response===
⚫
''The Missing Picture'' has an approval rating of 99% on [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 88 reviews, and an average rating of 8.26/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Thrillingly unorthodox and emotionally searing without being didactic, ''The Missing Picture'' is a uniquely poignant documentary -- and so much more".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_missing_picture|title=The Missing Picture (2014)|via=www.rottentomatoes.com |accessdate=10 October 2020}}</ref> It also has a score of 87 out of 100 on [[Metacritic]], based on 23 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-missing-picture|title=The Missing Picture|via=www.metacritic.com|accessdate=10 October 2020}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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[[Category:2013 films]]
[[Category:2013 films]]
[[Category:2013 documentary films]]
[[Category:2013 documentary films]]
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[[Category:Cambodian films]]
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[[Category:French films]]
[[Category:French documentary films]]
[[Category:French documentary films]]
[[Category:Cambodian documentary films]]
[[Category:Cambodian documentary films]]
[[Category:Documentary films about the Cambodian genocide]]
[[Category:Documentary films about the Cambodian genocide]]
[[Category:French-language films]]
[[Category:2010s French-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Rithy Panh]]
[[Category:Films directed by Rithy Panh]]
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[[Category:2010s French films]]
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[[Category:Clay animation films]]
[[Category:Animated documentary films]]

Revision as of 06:26, 17 August 2024

The Missing Picture
Film poster
Directed byRithy Panh
Written byRithy Panh
Christophe Bataille
Produced byCatherine Dussart
Narrated byRandal Douc
Jean-Baptiste Phou[1]
CinematographyPrum Mesa
Edited byRithy Panh
Marie-Christine Rougerie
Music byMarc Marder
Distributed byLes Acacias (France)
Release dates
  • 19 May 2013 (2013-05-19) (Cannes)
  • 21 October 2015 (2015-10-21) (France)
Running time
92 minutes
CountriesCambodia
France[2]
LanguageFrench[3]

The Missing Picture (French: L'Image manquante) is a 2013 Cambodian-French[4] documentary film directed by Rithy Panh about the Khmer Rouge regime and Cambodian genocide.[5] Approximately half of the film is news and documentary footage, while the other half uses clay figurines to dramatise the genocide's impact and aftermath on Cambodian people and society.[3][6]

It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival[7] where it won the top prize.[8] It was also screened in the World Cinema section at the 2013 Cinemanila International Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury Prize.[9] It won Best Documentary at the 21st Lumières Awards and was nominated for Best Documentary Film at the 41st César Awards as well as for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards.[10][11][12]

Overview

The film portrays the horrors of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979 using a blend of animation, archival footage, and clay dioramas by sculptor Sarith Mang. Director Rithy Panh, who lived through the Khmer Rouge's rise to power as a child, escaped to Thailand and eventually settled in France, where he pursued a career in cinema with a focus on depicting the genocide and its aftermath in Cambodia. Panh, who lost numerous family members to the regime, embarked on this film as a personal quest to reconnect with his stolen childhood.[13]

Through the narrative, Panh explores the loss of cultural identity inflicted by the Khmer Rouge, who aimed to forcibly reshape Cambodian society through radical socialism.[14] The film illustrates the erasure of individual identities, with citizens reduced to mere numbers and the suppression of their cultural heritage. Panh's use of clay figurines to fill the gaps in his memories adds a symbolic layer to the storytelling, evoking the innocence of childhood while depicting the brutal realities of life under the regime.[15][16][17]

The Missing Picture serves as an attempt to reconstruct a historical period where photographic evidence is scarce due to deliberate destruction by the Khmer Rouge.[18] Panh underscores the importance of cinema as a tool for bearing witness and preserving collective memory, countering the regime's distorted narrative with his own truth-seeking storytelling.[18]

Despite acknowledging the complexities of pre-crisis Cambodia, Panh's film captures the essence of his lived experience, offering a testament to resilience and the pursuit of truth. Beyond filmmaking, Panh is dedicated to nurturing Cambodian talent in the audiovisual arts, as evidenced by his establishment of the Audiovisual Center Bophana, which serves as both a repository of Cambodian memory and a training ground for aspiring filmmakers.[19]

Cast

  • Randal Douc as the narrator (original French version)
  • Jean-Baptiste Phou (English version)[20][21]

Reception

The Missing Picture has an approval rating of 99% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 88 reviews, and an average rating of 8.26/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Thrillingly unorthodox and emotionally searing without being didactic, The Missing Picture is a uniquely poignant documentary -- and so much more".[22] It also has a score of 87 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 23 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Missing Picture movie (2013)". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  2. ^ "The Missing Picture". Screen International. 20 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Oscars: best foreign film contenders". BBC News. 21 February 2014.
  4. ^ "Cannes Film Review: 'The Missing Picture'". Variety. 30 May 2013.
  5. ^ Young, Neil (23 May 2013). "The Missing Picture (L'Image manquante): Cannes Review". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  6. ^ "The Missing Picture – review". The Guardian. 28 February 2014.
  7. ^ "2013 Official Selection". Cannes. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  8. ^ Richford, Rhonda (26 May 2013). "Cannes: 'The Missing Picture' Wins Un Certain Regard Prize". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  9. ^ "Cinemanila 2013 winners awarded Saturday night". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  10. ^ "France's Lumiere Awards: 'Mustang' Takes Top Honors". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 February 2016.
  11. ^ "'Golden Years,' 'Marguerite,' 'Dheepan,' 'Mustang' Lead Cesar Nominations". Variety. 27 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Oscars: Main nominations 2014". BBC News. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  13. ^ Zylberman, Lior (2014) "The Missing Picture - Film Review," Genocide Studies and Prevention: Vol. 8: Iss. 3: 103-105.
  14. ^ "The Missing Picture – review". the Guardian. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  15. ^ "The Missing Picture uses clay figurines to expose the horrors of history". The A.V. Club. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  16. ^ Fong, Christy (23 March 2015). "THE MISSING PICTURE = L'IMAGE MANQUANTE | By Rithy Panh". Pacific Affairs (UBC Journal). Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  17. ^ Lemire, Christy. "The Missing Picture movie review (2014) | Roger Ebert". Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Film of the week: The Missing Picture". British Film Institute. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  19. ^ Rosenberg, Scott.(2006). Retrieved from M & C Movies at: https://web.archive.org/web/20070929130345/http://movies.monstersandcritics.com/features/article_1234058.php/Exclusive_interview_Cambodian_film_director_Rithy_Panh_%96_%93Angelina_Jolie_come_visit_the_Audiovisual_Center_Bophana!%94
  20. ^ Turan, Kenneth (3 October 2013). "Review: 'The Missing Picture' a poetic study of Khmer Rouge horrors". Los Angeles Times.
  21. ^ Bourne, Christopher. "New York Film Fest 2013 Review: THE MISSING PICTURE, A Hauntingly Poetic Work of Emotional and Historical Archeology". TwitchFilm. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  22. ^ "The Missing Picture (2014)". Retrieved 10 October 2020 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  23. ^ "The Missing Picture". Retrieved 10 October 2020 – via www.metacritic.com.
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