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# LOOT : how cinema tells Cambodians the story of their stolen treasures
- URL: https://riel-media.com/en/culture-history/loot-how-cinema-tells-cambodians-the-story-of-their-stolen-treasures/
- Published: 2026-10-30T12:22:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T13:47:09.000Z
- Author: Melissa Chenda Ang
- Tags: Culture & History, #lang-en, #pair-loot

*Released in Cambodian cinemas on October 16, 2026, LOOT: A Story of Crime and Redemption, an 87-minute documentary directed by Don Millar, traces the looting of Khmer antiquities, their circulation through the international art market, and the efforts to return them to Cambodia. Screened in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville, the film features testimonies from investigators, heritage experts, and former looters.*

At a screening of *LOOT* in Phnom Penh, nearly 90% of the seats are occupied. On screen, audiences discover how some of Cambodia's most precious sculptures were removed from their temples and ended up in private collections and museums abroad.

A few days earlier, several Cambodian public figures had already encouraged audiences to watch the documentary. Among them was Sang Pheasda, an actress, traditional dancer, and archaeology graduate, who urged viewers not to miss this film about Cambodia's national heritage.

In an article published on October 1 by AMS Infotainment, reactions gathered after a special screening reveal a shared sense of emotion. Content creator RexXan describes getting goosebumps at some of the revelations. Since childhood, he had wondered why so many ancient statues were missing their heads. The documentary helps him uncover part of their story.

Another viewer, Bunheng, points out that war did not merely destroy peace and security in Cambodia. It also created conditions that allowed individuals to exploit the country's cultural heritage.

For Théary, a content creator, the emotional peak comes when the sculptures return to Cambodia. She recalls crying as she watched these works make their way back to their country of origin, as though something long lost was finally coming home.

While Khmer statues hold a familiar place in Cambodia's national consciousness, the circumstances of their disappearance and the mechanisms behind their trade are often far less widely understood.

It is precisely this story that Don Millar brings to the screen.

## From temples to auction houses: uncovering the trafficking network

At the centre of the story is Douglas Latchford, a British art dealer based in Thailand who was accused of playing a major role in the trafficking of Cambodian sculptures.

Through interviews, archival material, and criminal investigations, the documentary follows the journey of ancient artworks from Cambodia's archaeological sites to some of the most prominent institutions in the Western art market.

The case of the Duryodhana statue, offered for sale at Sotheby's in New York, provides a particularly revealing example of how this trade operated. The sculpture's feet, discovered at its original site in Cambodia, provided physical evidence linking the artwork offered at auction to the temple from which it had been removed.

Among the film's most striking testimonies is that of "Blue Tiger," a former child soldier who became an antiquities looter and is now involved in efforts to locate missing artefacts.

During decades of war and instability, Cambodians were involved in extracting and transporting antiquities. Yet the money they received bore little resemblance to the prices these same objects would later command on the international market.

Some risked their lives in dangerous areas to recover sculptures that could eventually sell for millions of dollars once they reached the West.

This contrast is one of the documentary's most troubling elements. It highlights how the antiquities trade cannot be understood without considering the power imbalances and economic inequalities that made it possible.

## Restitution as the climax of the story

After tracing the journeys of the missing sculptures, the documentary gradually turns its attention to their return to Cambodia.

Footage of the restitutions, including antiquities returned from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in July 2024, provides a tangible conclusion to the years of investigations and legal proceedings explored earlier in the film.

The shift in perspective is significant.

For much of the documentary, the sculptures appear as objects being searched for, sold, displayed, or disputed through legal proceedings. In the final sequences, they regain their cultural and historical significance.

This narrative structure helps explain the emotions expressed by some Cambodian viewers.

When Théary describes the return of the sculptures as the homecoming of something long absent from the country, she captures what these images represent beyond the resolution of a criminal investigation.

Don Millar chooses to end his story with the possibility of healing and restitution, while reminding viewers that many Khmer antiquities remain overseas.

Restitution emerges as one stage in a process that is still ongoing.

For while some sculptures have finally found their way back to Cambodia, the story of their disappearance remains to be told more widely. The documentary contributes to that process of remembrance, offering audiences an opportunity to discover not only what was taken from their country, but also the circumstances under which this heritage was removed.