Duch, Master of the Forges of Hell

The Devil’s administrator – organized torture and killing under the Khmer Rouge.
From 1975 to 1979, 1.8 million people died under the Khmer Rouge and their despotism. Kang Kek Iew, better known as Comrade Duch, was the head of the government's internal security branch. Duch oversaw the Tuol Sleng (S21), a prison where thousands were held for interrogation and torture. Only seven of 17,000 people are known to have survived the camp. In this documentary, director Rithy Panh gets a face-to-face interview with Duch, in which he reveals how he managed to administer so many killings. js

Suitable for persons 15 years and older.


Rithy Panh began at Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques after escaping the Khmer Rouge. This is reflected in his films such as his debut, Site 2 (1989), a documentary about Cambodian refugees. Panh won the François Chalais Award in Cannes for S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (2003). He was also nominated for the Palme d'Or for The Rice People (1994).