Controversial Cambodian film ‘Ghost Mountain’ postponed after missing cinema release date

Cambodian production company LD Entertainment has postponed the release of Ghost Mountain, a controversial historical film depicting alleged incidents involving Thai soldiers and Cambodian refugees fleeing the Khmer Rouge regime.

The film, produced and directed by Leak Lyda, was originally scheduled to open in cinemas nationwide on 6 November. However, the date passed without the film being released or an immediate explanation from the production company.

LD Entertainment subsequently announced that the release had been postponed to allow further technical improvements.

“We have decided to postpone the screening of ‘Ghost Mountain’ for the time being,” the company said.

“We need to make some technical adjustments to improve the film’s overall quality before its release,” it added.

The company insisted that the film would receive a wide theatrical release once the necessary improvements were completed, but did not announce a new date.

Controversy over historical claims

Ghost Mountain, which took more than four years to complete, is based on a memoir by Cambodian businessman Neak Ohkna Meangly J Quach.

The film has attracted controversy over its portrayal of events along the Thai-Cambodian border during the period when Cambodian refugees were fleeing the Khmer Rouge regime.

Its storyline draws on accounts from a group of Cambodians who alleged that Thai soldiers forced refugees out of Thailand, leading some to enter minefields where many were killed.

The allegations have become a subject of debate, particularly over the historical evidence supporting the accounts presented in the film.

The information accompanying the film’s controversy describes these claims as based on personal testimony, without identifying corroborating historical documents or international records.

The film has also raised questions about the sensitivity of portraying disputed historical events involving neighbouring countries, particularly amid tense relations between Thailand and Cambodia.

Thailand’s role during the refugee crisis

The controversy comes against the broader historical background of Cambodia’s refugee crisis during and after the Khmer Rouge era.

Between 1975 and 1979, Cambodia was ruled by Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime, under which millions of Cambodians died.

Thailand opened its borders to large numbers of Cambodian refugees fleeing the violence and humanitarian catastrophe.

The film’s depiction of alleged actions by Thai soldiers has therefore become a sensitive issue in discussions about Thailand’s historical role during the refugee crisis.

Despite the controversy, LD Entertainment has attributed the postponement solely to technical adjustments intended to improve the film’s overall quality.

The company has not indicated when Ghost Mountain will eventually reach cinemas.