Plot

When Dr. Haing S. Ngor was forced into labor camps by the Khmer Rouge, little did he know he would escape years of torture and recreate his experiences in a film that would win him an Academy Award®. "The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor" tells the dramatic story about arguably the most recognizable survivor of the Cambodian genocide, a man who became a worldwide ambassador for justice in his homeland, only to be murdered in a Los Angeles Chinatown alley - a case still muddled with conspiracy theories. Through an inspired blend of original animation and rare archival material - anchored by Ngor's richly layered autobiography - the years encapsulating the Khmer Rouge's tyrannical rule over Cambodia are experienced though a politically charged transnational journey of loss and reconciliation.—Arthur Dong

When Haing Ngor was forced into labor camps by the Khmer Rouge, little did he know he would escape years of torture and recreate his experiences in a film that would win him an Oscar. 'The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor' tells the dramatic story about arguably the most recognizable survivor of the Cambodian genocide, a man who became a worldwide ambassador for justice in his homeland, only to be murdered in a Los Angeles Chinatown alley, a case still muddled with conspiracy theories. Through a blend of animation and rare archival material - anchored by Ngor's powerful autobiography - the years encapsulating the Khmer Rouge's tyrannical rule over Cambodia are experienced though a politically charged transnational journey of loss and reconciliation.

When Dr. Haing S. Ngor was forced into labor camps in 1975 by the Khmer Rouge, little did he know he would escape four years of torture and be called upon to recreate his harrowing experiences in "The Killing Fields," his first film that would earn him an Academy Award. This unexpected celebrity thrust Dr. Ngor onto an international stage and he became the "face of Cambodia" to alert the world about the devastation of his homeland. For the Cambodian-Chinese doctor: "Nothing has shaped my life as much as surviving the Pol Pot regime. I am a survivor of the Cambodian holocaust. That's who I am." And little did anyone know that some twenty years later, Ngor would be gunned down in a Los Angeles Chinatown alley. How could it be that Ngor would survive near death at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, only to be murdered by gang-bangers in America?