Skip to content 
Kampot, Cambodia shows City of Ghosts in open-air cinema
What a delight it was to have the famous American film actor Matt Dillon come to our sleepy town of Kampot in Cambodia.
Matt Dillon was born on the 18th of February 1964. During his years as an actor, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award nomination and a Grammy nomination.
Dillon made his feature film debut in Over the Edge (1979) and established himself as a teen idol by starring in the films My Bodyguard (1980), Little Darlings (1980), three of five S.E Hinton book adaptations, Tex(1982), Rumble Fish (1983) and The Outsiders (1983) as well as The Flamingo Kid (1984) and many more Matt Dillon movies.
Dillon first landed in Cambodia in 1992 by chance. He was travelling around the region and had plans to visit Thailand, the Golden Triangle and Vietnam. But those plans changed as he set off on a different path that lead him to direct his first feature film “City of Ghosts.”
City of Ghosts is a 2002 American crime thriller film about a con artist who must go to Cambodia to collect his share of money from an insurance scam.
Bokor hill
City of Ghosts was filmed in Cambodia, in locations that include Phnom Penh and the old palace on the top of Bokor Hill, Kampot.
Matt Dillon was the co-writer and director of the film City of Ghosts and he even starred in the film himself.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2002 and was released in the United States on April 25, 2003.
It was fun listening to Matt Dillon’s Q and A when he was telling all the stories of filming at the top of Bokor Mountain.
Matt Dillon also did a private screening of his film on Saturday in the capital city of Phnom Penh. Where he did a meet and greet session followed by a Q and A session.
Cambodian film industry
Cambodia had a thriving film industry in the sixties and early seventies. Sadly, this was completely obliterated in 1975 when the Khmer Rouge took over power in the country.
The Cambodian film industry has slowly started to recover in the last fifteen years. This is wonderful news for those that want to watch the beauty and talent of this country.
Matt was this year’s patron of the Cambodian international film festival. He spoke about his excitement about the progress of the Cambodian film industry.
Films
In 2017 Angelina Jolie directed and co-wrote the film First they killed my father with the Beautiful and Amazing Loung Ung.
First they killed my father is set in 1975 and is based on the true story of the 5-year-old Loung. Who is forced to be trained as a child soldier, while her siblings are sent to labour camps. This was during the Cambodian genocide under the regime of Pol Pot. Known as the Khmer Rouge regime.
This film is heartbreaking so prepare some tissues.
Documentaries
There is also another amazing documentary called Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten directed by John Pirozzi.
The idea for the film began when the American filmmaker John Pirozzi was in Cambodia filming City of Ghosts. He was given a copy of Cambodian Rocks which is a collection of untitled and uncredited music by artists presumed killed under the Khmer Rouge. Thus he began researching the stories of the artists.
Don’t think I have forgotten is about Cambodian rock music in the 1960s and 1970s. This was before the Khmer Rouge regime and the Cambodian genocide. It is both heartbreaking and enjoyable to watch.
Fun in Kampot with Matt Dillon
What an enjoyable moment it was watching the film City of Ghosts in the open air on the beautiful riverfront of Kampot. With Matt Dillon watching Matt Dillon.
Dillon has always loved Cambodia and once said “Cambodia remains an important place for him as he made his first film there. He was happy to be in the country again to meet local filmmakers, while he has been crowned patron of the 12th Cambodian International Film Festival (CIFF).”
But over 20 years ago in 2001 when the film City of Ghosts was being created it was a different story than the filmmaking of today.
In those days Dillon would have had to bring virtually all his equipment and most of his crew with him. He literally had to start shooting from scratch.
Despite its few flaws, City of Ghosts has a strange authenticity and rawness that latches onto you and keeps your attention. Mainly because of the cute supporting actors and for me my love of Cambodia.
I first came to Cambodia in 1997 and in those days it was totally different to Cambodia today. So I understand his challenges.
Extras
During the filming, Dillon and his team recruited many of the local ex-pat community, backpackers and local Khmers. Who had zero acting experience.
One local was Snow (Ian) who landed in Cambodia in August 1993. Snow’s first job in Cambodia was as a contractor for the UN.
“I was paid to transport one hundred and fifty UN Land Cruisers from
Steung Treng, to the north of Cambodia, Kratie,” he says over a cold beer. “We negotiated to pay the Khmer Rouge soldiers $200 per vehicle, but they insisted that they drive and we sit in the back. It was very risky because they could have stolen the vehicles if they wanted to, and I had no backup.”
Snow would talk happily about acting in the film With Matt Dillon
“Matt Dillon is a real good bloke, no bullshit … quite patient. He loves Cambodia, he’s been here before,” he said.
In City of Ghosts, Snow plays an erratic customer of a local brothel in Phnom Penh, who gets into a fight with another customer and forces the film’s protagonist (Matt Dillon) to flee onto the street.
Amongst Snow you had Sopal from Happy Herbs (Pizza), Michael Hayes (previous owner of the Phnom Penh Post), many Russians and even a local man from Pakistan.
Maxine's
Snow went on to open his bar called Maxines which rapidly became an institution. Maxines was located on the opposite side of the river to most bars. So it felt totally in the middle of nowhere.
I went to Maxine’s once and danced the night away. But ended up trying to look for a tuk-tuk at 2 am in the middle of nowhere. So, sadly I never went back.
Kem Sereyvuth – Sok
One of the main actors who played alongside with Matt Dillon was Kem Sereyvuth.
Kem Sereyvuth played Sok, Matt Dillon’s Cyclo driver. Sadly Kem Sereyvuth passed away last October. But Matt Dillon has always been in contact with Sereyvuth thus they became life-long friends. Nak Sorkphea, Kem Sereyvuth’s wife and his three children also starred in the film.
“Sereyvuth was a “natural”, Dillon gushed, according to Brouwer. He grew up in an orphanage in Kampong Thom province, joined the army and served for three years, and worked under UNTAC as an electoral official before moving to Phnom Penh in the hope of finding a better life.“
Kem Sereyvuth used his fee from his film debut to renovate his family farm in Takeo province.
Takeaway
Here are some great books to read
About Cambodia
If you would like to know more about Cambodia and its history, please read these books.
The first book is by a Cambodian author. Chenda Keo. He discovered that human trafficking was a serious social problem that needed to be urgently and effectively addressed. He began his work by interviewing 17 trafficked children. Surprisingly he found that none of these children considered themselves trafficking victims.
The second book was written by my lovely friend Kate. Who sadly recently passed, due to an illness.
- A book about human trafficking: Human Trafficking in Cambodia by Chenda Keo
- A book about Cambodia: Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
- A book about the history of Cambodia: A History of Cambodia by David Chandler
- A book from a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist: Cambodia’s Curse: The Modern History of a Troubled Land by Joel Brinkley
- A book about a younger trained as a soldier for the Khmer Rouge: First They Killed My Father
- A book about being in S-21, the prison during the Khmer Rouge: A Cambodian Prison Portrait by Vann Nath
- A book about the leader of the Khmer Rouge: Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare by Philip Short
- A book about a survivor of the Cambodian holocaust: Survival in the Killing Fields Haing Ngor
- A book about two sisters reuniting after the Khmer Rouge: Lucky Child by Loung Ung
- A book about surviving under the Khmer Rouge: When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him
