Jolie to direct Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime film for Netflix

Over the past ten years, Ms. Ung said she and Ms. Jolie Pitt have become good friends with a common vision.

Angelina Jolie is all set to direct a film about children who were caught up in Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime for Netflix. Ung was forced to leave her family’s home and trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans while her six siblings were sent to labor camps.

“We are proud to be working with Angelina Jolie in bringing this emotionally powerful and ultimately uplifting story exclusively to Netflix members around the world”, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said.

“… my admiration for Angelina as a woman, a mother, a filmmaker, and a humanitarian has only grown”, says Ung.

When playing the wife of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Peal in 2007’s A Mighty Heart, Angelina formed a similar bond with the real-life Mariane Pearl.

This will be Jolie’s fourth feature directorial effort, following on the success of last year’s Unbroken and the upcoming By The Sea, in which she also stars alongside husband Brad Pitt. It also helped reinforce her connection to Cambodia, where her son Maddox was born.

“First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers” is the latest flick that she will be directing for Netflix.

As per reports, one of the reasons the actress chose the streaming service was owing to its global reach.

“Films like this are hard to watch but important to see”, she continues. Netflix is making that possible, and I am looking forward to working with them and excited that the film will reach so many people.

Father will reportedly come ahead of Jolie’s planned Paramount drama, Africa, which centers on Dr. Richard Leaky’s battle against the illegal wildlife trade. Shooting is scheduled to begin later this year with a release date in 2016. The film will be streamed on Netflix in 2016 and will also be screened at major film festivals.