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The Flute Player

The heart-wrenching journey of a survivor of Cambodia’s killing fields, and his work to heal himself and his country through music.

Series

POV, Global Voices

Premiere Date

July 22, 2003

Length

60 minutes

Funding Type

Co-Production

Awards & Recognition

Winner

2003 South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) - Audience Award

Nominee

2004 News and Documentary Emmy Awards - Outstanding Cultural and Artistic Programming

Arn Chorn-Pond was only a boy when the brutal Khmer Rouge regime overran Cambodia and turned his country into a ghastly land of “killing fields.” While most of Arn’s family, and 90 percent of the country’s musicians, were killed,Arn managed to stay alive by playing propaganda songs on the flute for his captors, and following every order — even participating in executions. Now, after living in the U.S. for 20 years,The Flute Player follows Arn’s journey back to Cambodia as he seeks out surviving “master musicians” and faces the dark shadows of his war-torn past. An extraordinary story of survival, the film is a testament to one man’s ability to transcend tragedy.