Kep & Cinema: Tribute to Cambodian rock and roll at the opening of the 360° Film Festival

“Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll” is a 2014 documentary film directed by John Pirozzi that will be presented on Friday May 23 for the opening of CIFF 360 in Kep West.

“Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll” is a 2014 documentary film directed by John Pirozzi that explores the vibrant Cambodian rock music scene of the 1960s and 1970s before it was all but wiped out by the Khmer Rouge regime.

The film took ten years to complete and combines interviews with surviving musicians, archive footage, photographs and rare songs to reconstruct this lost musical heritage.

During the 1960s and early 1970s, Cambodia enjoyed a thriving rock and roll scene, heavily influenced by Western musical styles such as surf rock, Afro-Cuban rhythms and artists like Santana. Cambodian musicians quickly adapted these styles, blending them with traditional Khmer musical elements to create a unique sound that resonated with young people, who saw rock and roll as a symbol of modernity and independence. Sinn Sisamouth, often regarded as Cambodia's greatest singer, was a key figure in adopting and adapting Western styles to Cambodian audiences, earning comparisons with Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

The advent of the Khmer Rouge in 1975 put an abrupt end to this cultural flowering. The regime banned foreign music, destroyed records and master tapes, and imprisoned or executed artists and intellectuals. Many musicians died, while a few survived by hiding their identity or playing traditional music under duress. Much of the music and documentation from this period has been lost or damaged, making the film's reconstruction efforts particularly poignant.

After the fall of the Khmer Rouge, surviving musicians and family members have been working to revive Cambodia's musical heritage. The documentary highlights these efforts and pays tribute to a lost generation of artists and the lasting impact of their music on Cambodian culture.

In short, “Don't Think I've Forgotten” is both a celebration and a memorial to Cambodia's lost rock and roll scene, the story of a cultural dynamism interrupted by tragedy but preserved through the dedication of survivors and filmmakers alike.

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