#1 of 8 ranked Best-rated Khmer movie
2017 Biography Drama History 2h 16m Khmer
82 Echo Score $720.4K worldwide
About First They Killed My Father Language · Southeast Asia
Khmer Movies: New Releases & Best-Rated Films
31 Khmer-language films are on What’s After the Movie, 14 of them (45%) from the 2010s. Drama leads with 17, then documentary (7) and horror (5). The best-rated is First They Killed My Father (2017) with an Echo Score of 82; the newest release is Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites, out Jan 24, 2025.
- Khmer films on the site
- 31
- ranked by rating
- 8
- plot summaries
- 4
- busiest decade (14 films)
- 2010s
#1 of 8 ranked Best-rated
What Are the Best Khmer Movies?
With an Echo Score of 82, First They Killed My Father (2017) ranks first of the 8 ranked Khmer films, ahead of Still I Strive (2014) and Karmalink (2022). 5 of the top 8 are from the 2010s. Ranked by Echo Score; 5 of these 8 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
- 1. First They Killed My Father 82 Echo (Echo Score 82 out of 100)
2017 · Biography, Drama · 2h 16m
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2. Still I Strive 81 Metascore (Metascore 81 out of 100 (4 critic reviews))2014 · Action, Drama · 1h 31m
Dir. A. Todd Smith No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences
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4. A River Changes Course 77 Metascore (Metascore 77 out of 100 (7 critic reviews))2013 · Drama, Documentary · 1h 23m
Dir. Kalyanee Mam No Echo Score: ranked 77/100 on critics & audiences
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5. Golden Slumbers 73 Metascore (Metascore 73 out of 100 (4 critic reviews))2013 · Documentary · 1h 36m
Dir. Davy Chou No Echo Score: ranked 73/100 on critics & audiences
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6. S21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine 75 Metascore (Metascore 75 out of 100)2004 · History, War · 1h 41m
Dir. Rithy Panh No Echo Score: ranked 70/100 on critics & audiences
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7. Diamond Island 69 Metascore (Metascore 69 out of 100 (5 critic reviews))2017 · Drama · 1h 41m
Dir. Davy Chou No Echo Score: ranked 68/100 on critics & audiences
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Genres
What Kinds of Khmer Movies Are There?
Drama is part of 55% of Khmer films (17); documentary (7) and horror (5) follow. Compared with the whole catalogue, Khmer films lean most towards drama: 55% of them, against 41% of all films. Films can have several genres. Each bar opens the full list filtered to that genre, with its best-rated film underneath.
- Drama 17 · 55%Best-rated: A River Changes Course (2013)
- Documentary 7 · 23%Best-rated: Golden Slumbers (2013)
- Horror 5 · 16%
- History 3 · 10%Best-rated: S21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine (2004)
- Romance 3 · 10%
- Action 2 · 6%Best-rated: Still I Strive (2014)
- Comedy 2 · 6%
- Thriller 2 · 6%
- War 2 · 6%
- Adventure 1 · 3%
Smaller genres: Biography (1), Crime (1), Family (1), Mystery (1), Sci-Fi (1).
Decade by decade
Khmer Cinema, Decade by Decade
The 2010s are the busiest decade with 14 films (45%); the earliest Khmer film on the site is from 1994. The best-rated of the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s: S21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine (2004), First They Killed My Father (2017) and Karmalink (2022). No Khmer film from before the 2000s is ranked.
- 3 Khmer films from the 2000s 2000s S21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine 75 Metascore
- 14 Khmer films from the 2010s 2010s First They Killed My Father 82 Echo
- 12 Khmer films from the 2020s 2020s Karmalink 77 Echo
People
Who Are the Top Khmer Directors and Actors?
Tharoth Sam, Sveng Socheata and Jany Min share the lead in the cast lists with 2 Khmer films each. Counted over notable features: films with ratings, box office, awards or a plot summary on the site.
Most-cast actors in Khmer films
- Tharoth Sam 2 filmsBest-rated: First They Killed My Father (2017)
- Sveng Socheata 2 filmsBest-rated: First They Killed My Father (2017)
- Jany Min 2 filmsBest-rated: Diamond Island (2017)
Explained
Khmer Movies Explained: Plot Summaries & Endings
4 Khmer films have a full plot summary on the site. The newest are Turn Left Turn Right (2016) and The Snake King’s Child (2001).
Full list
Browse All 31 Khmer Movies
Filter all 31 Khmer films by genre, decade or year and sort them by rating, box office, release date or title. The list starts with the 31 released Khmer films, newest first.
31 released Khmer films
Khmer movies, newest first. Page 1 of 1.
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S21: The Khmer Rouge Death Machine
2004 · 1h 41m
75 Metascore Released May 19, 2004
- History
- War
- Documentary
Related languages
Movies in Other Languages From Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia has 11 languages on the site. Besides Khmer, the biggest are Tagalog (2,232 films), Indonesian (1,751 films) and Thai (1,209 films).
FAQ
Khmer Movies: Questions & Answers
Answers from the 31 Khmer films on the site: their ranking.
How many Khmer movies are there?
31 Khmer-language films are on What’s After the Movie, released from 1994 to 2025. 8 are ranked by rating and 4 have reported box office.
Browse all Khmer movies What is the best Khmer movie?
First They Killed My Father (2017) ranks highest (Echo Score 82), followed by Still I Strive (2014) and Karmalink (2022). Ranked by Echo Score; 1 of these 3 films has none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and is ranked by a blend of its Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
About First They Killed My Father Which decade had the most Khmer films?
The 2010s, with 14 films (45% of all Khmer films on the site). Its best-rated film is First They Killed My Father (2017).
What are the newest Khmer movies?
Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites (released Jan 24, 2025), The Rubber Tappers (released Dec 2, 2024) and The Night of the Cursed Reatrei (released Mar 14, 2024).
New Khmer releases