The 11th annual Cambodia Town Film Festival starts Friday at the Art Theatre in Long Beach.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the brutal Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia in 1975, and the start of the bloody four-year genocide that resulted in some 2 million deaths and disruption of Cambodian society.

This year’s film festival runs from Friday, Sept. 12 through Sunday, Sept. 14. It seeks to highlight stories from the diverse Cambodian diaspora, including Cambodian Americans, Southeast Asians and around the world.

Screenings include the critically acclaimed film “Meeting with Pol Pot,” followed by a conversation with the filmmaker, “Chasing Cambodia,” the Oscar-winning “The Killing Fields” (1985), the adoption saga “Vakhim,” “Loot,” about Cambodian art thefts, and a collection of short films in the “Shorts Corner.” The festival closes with the celebrated feature film “The Harvest,” a Hmong family drama.

There’s also a writers’ panel titled “Beyond Trauma Narratives: Modern Khmer American Writing,” and a community event: “Cambodia’s Lost Children: Introducing the Reconnecting Cambodia Project” — a humanitarian DNA-led family finding service, reuniting families and restoring hope.

Most films cost $7 each. Some are free. Some include panels with the filmmakers. VIP tickets for the entire festival are $150. Audiences also can experience free “Stay Alive My Son,” a VR short film that places viewers in the shoes of a father faced with a gut-wrenching decision to abandon his son to survive.

Learn more: cambodiatownfilmfestival.com

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