Angelina Jolie finds inspiration in Cambodia
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- Published on Monday, 07 December 2015 11:44
- Written by AA
'I think we’ve all been affected by art,' she says. 'Some piece of music, film, story, has directed our life and the way we live our life -- every single person.' Hollywood star Angelina Jolie-Pitt is further cementing her ties with Cambodia -- directing a feature length film based on Loung Ung's harrowing memoir of the Khmer Rouge genocide, in which two million people were killed. Jolie-Pitt, who with husband Brad Pitt adopted her eldest child Maddox from the Southeast Asian nation, filmed Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in Cambodia in 2001 and also serves as president of the Honorary Committee of the Cambodia International Film Festival.On Saturday, she told a Phnom Penh audience how grateful she was to be working again in the country, calling it the "greatest experience" of her film career.Speaking to several hundred people at the Chaktomuk Theatre on a steamy late afternoon, Jolie-Pitt -- who is in the middle of directing First They Killed My Father -- spoke candidly during a panel discussion, which also featured veteran Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh and two younger Cambodian filmmakers."I'm fortunate in that I love what I do, my children are healthy and I'm blessed to be able to tell stories and I'm having the greatest experience I've ever had on a film, being able to work on something I care so deeply about, and also because of my husband, who's over there," she said, pointing to Hollywood actor Brad Pitt who was seated at the back of the auditorium.But Jolie-Pitt -- clad in a black top and skirt -- also spoke with great conviction about the importance of art and culture in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia, saying she believed the country has developed an impressive archive of documentaries and feature films.Given that the ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge were intent on ridding Cambodia of much of its cultural heritage -- from poets to singers, actors and artists -- "I think that says everything about art and culture" and its importance, Jolie-Pitt said."I think we've all been affected by art," she added. "Some piece of music, film, story, has directed our life and the way we live our life -- every single person."
Jolie-Pitt has a 1,000-strong Cambodian crew working on her film, and praised their professionalism during the talk."It's a dream," she said of being able to work in Cambodia again. Outside of her work as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Jolie-Pitt has spoken in depth about the effects of landmines in Cambodia and also brought added appeal to Cambodia's pre-Angkorian temple of Ta Prohm, which featured prominently the Lara Croft 2001 blockbuster."I had a very different artistic experience then, because I was acting, but I've spent over a decade working and coming back and forth and wanted so much to really be here and to make a film about this country, the history, and not about war, but about the resilience, the strength and family."First They Killed My Father is a memoir written by Loung Ung, which recounts her and her family's experiences under the Khmer Rouge.Jolie said making the film has been important to her for a number of reasons, not least because she wants her oldest son Maddox, whom she adopted in Cambodia in 2002, to learn "about his country".The six-day Cambodia International Film Festival opened Friday.First They Killed My Father will be released in English and Khmer next year, and submitted to major film festivals around the world.Pitt and Jolie-Pitt are parents to six children: Maddox, 14; Pax, 11; Zahara, 10; Shiloh, 9; and twins Vivienne and Knox, 7.
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Angelina Jolie Covers Elle France's Latest Issue!
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- Published on Friday, 04 December 2015 04:44
- Written by Just Jared
Angelina Jolie flashes her perfect smile on the cover of Elle France‘s December 2015 issue.The 40-year-old actress and director’s cover was revealed today on the magazine’s official Twitter account.Angelina‘s latest film By the Sea, which she wrote, directed, and starred in with her husband Brad Pitt, is currently playing in theaters. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t already!
For more from Angelina, visit Elle.fr.
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Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie Wanted To Have 12 Kids
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- Published on Thursday, 03 December 2015 05:15
- Written by Huffington post
You know, a classic dozen.Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had big plans for a big family. While the the A-list couple currently has six children -- Maddox, 14, Pax, 12, Zahara, 10, Shiloh, 9, and Knox and Vivienne, 7-year-old twins -- Pitt revealed in a new interview with The Telegraph that the couple originally had even higher numbers in mind. "Listen, Angie and I were aiming for a dozen, but we crapped out after six," he said. The star went on to recall enjoying interactions he had with the family of a college friend who had seven siblings. "His mom would be making breakfast for everyone, throwing eggs and pancakes around, and I thought, that’s the way I want to do it." Elsewhere in the interview, Pitt opens up about working with Jolie on her new film, "By The Sea," in which they co-star and Jolie wrote and directed. Earlier this month, the two posed at the premiere of the title outside the Directors Guild of America Theatre in New York. "I’ve worked with some really great directors, and I’m really choosy about them, because they’re telling the story at the end of the day," Pitt told Telegraph. "I need to know I’m in good hands, and I trust Angie with my life. I love her instincts."
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Director Angelina Jolie-Pitt mingles with cast and crew on the set of her new Khmer Rouge film First They Killed My Father in Cambodia
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- Published on Wednesday, 02 December 2015 20:06
- Written by Daily Mail
Angelina Jolie-Pitt has been pictured working on her latest endeavour, a Netflix film version of the harrowing Khmer Rouge memoir First They Killed My Father.The actress and director was seen on location in Cambodia on Thanksgiving Day last week, speaking to members of the cast and crew in popular tourist town Siem Reap in the staggering heat.Covering up under a wide-brimmed hat, the 40-year-old Academy Award winner protected herself from the weather as she continued work on her latest directorial effort. Angelina is bringing human rights activist Loung Ung's 2000 memoir of the same name to life with her screen adaptation, which she has also co-written.First They Killed My Father tells the harrowing tale of Ung's life through the Khmer Rouge years, under the reign of dictator Pol Pot, and her escape from the 'killing fields' in the 1970s.The film will also star Angelina's 14-year-old adopted son Maddox, who hails from Cambodia: he'll also help out on the production side of things.The Unbroken director first expressed an interest in adapting the book after reading it over a decade ago.'I was deeply affected by Loung's book,' she said previously. 'It deepened forever my understanding of how children experience war and are affected by the emotional memory of it. And it helped me draw closer still to the people of Cambodia, my son's homeland.''Films like this are hard to watch but important to see,' she continued of the movie, which is set for release in late 2016.'They are also hard to get made. Netflix is making this possible, and I am looking forward to working with them and excited that the film will reach so many people.'Ung has said of the adaptation, which will be produced by Cambodian film-maker Rithy Panh: 'Angelina and I met in 2001 in Cambodia, and immediately, I trusted Angelina's heart. 'Through the years, we have become close friends, and my admiration for her as a woman, a mother, a film-maker and a humanitarian has only grown. It is with great honour that I entrust my family's story to Angelina to adapt into a film.'
As the actress-turned-director was seen on location in the town, along with a host of extras and a bustling film crew, her teen son Maddox was also believed to be there, doing his bit to help. While Angelina is in the Southeast Asian country - where she expected to remain until January while working on the film - she has also accepted a post as the president of the little-known Cambodia International Film Festival. The festival held in the capital, Phnom Penh, runs from December 4 - 10 and is screening 130 films from 34 countries. 'Cambodia's rich history, long culture and talented people mean it has a huge amount to offer the region and the world,' the Hollywood star said in a statement issued last week by the festival. 'I'm proud to support the Cambodia International Film Festival and Cambodia as a home for vibrant and innovative filmmaking.'Festival adviser Cedric Eloy, head of the Cambodian Film Commission, said Angelina's role would provide moral support and help 'bring attention to the rebirth of the Cambodian film industry.'Cambodia's film industry was devastated by the murderous reign of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.The regime executed artists, writers and filmmakers as part of its Maoist vision to eliminate the educated elite and transform the country into an agrarian utopia. More than 1.7 million people died under the regime. Meanwhile, Angelina recently teamed up with husband Brad Pitt on her film By The Sea, in which she both stars and directed.
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Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Emma Watson given black eyes and bruises for shocking domestic violence campaign
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- Published on Wednesday, 02 December 2015 19:58
- Written by Daily Mail
Some of Tinseltown's most beautiful women have been given a shocking makeover for a domestic violence campaign.Photos of Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Emma Watson have been edited to show the women with bruises and black eyes by artist and activist, aleXsandro Palombo, for the No Women is Immune from Domestic Violence project.In light of the International Day for Elimination of Violence, Palombo decided to use his skills to depict some of the top celebrities of our time as battered victims.The goal, he says, is to persuade all victims of abuse to break the silence and raise awareness that all women can be subject to abuse and that no one is immune, even if you live a fairytale life like celebrities.Speaking about his latest offering, which he has been sharing across social media, he said: 'The biggest accomplice of violence is the silence, a silence which every year kills or causes permanent disability more than diseases or accidents.'Domestic violence is a social cancer that knows no boundaries nor social status, it can affect anyone, whether you're an ordinary person or a celebrity. 'To defeat him you need to use the antidote of culture by educating and raising awareness on Respect and Equality. Each of us has do their part to help increase awareness and to change things by any means.' The contemporary artist and activist often uses his satirical Neo Pop Art as a tool to raise awareness and reflection about important social and cultural issues.
Among his most famous works are Disabled Disney Princesses, Disney Princesses as Breast Cancer Survivors and The Simpsons Go To Auschwitz. Back in 2010, reality TV star Kim Kardashian suffered domestic violence at the hands of her ex-husband Damon Thomas, according to allegations in uncovered court papers.Kim claimed the music producer repeatedly beat her and demanded to know where she was at every minute of the day.Kim, now married to Kanye West, eloped to Las Vegas, and married Thomas in January 2000 - when she was just 19. They split three years later.Thomas's controlling personality was laid bare by Kim in the couple's divorce papers, which were filed at Los Angeles Superior Court back in 2003.According to the documents, Thomas would punch her in the face, slam her against walls and throw her across the room, leaving her bruised and battered. Thomas, who has worked with artists such as Lionel Richie and Pink, even forced Kim to quit jobs and college, poisoned her mind against her own family and would not let her see her friends, the papers claimed.'Damon decided what we would do and when we would do it. He was very much the "King of the castle",' she said.
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