Angelina Jolie wears pink dress at Cambodian opening ceremony

Angelina Jolie looked radiant in a hot pink outfit as she attended the opening ceremony of her new film. First my father was killedSaturday in Cambodia.

Jolie, 41, enjoyed the special moment wearing a bright floor-length gown and being presented with a bouquet of flowers by King Norodom Sihamoni.

The ceremony (and Jolie’s costume change) came just hours after her children Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 8, attended the film’s premiere in Cambodia. First my father was killed At the Terrace of the Elephants in the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex.

Jolie and her children spoke to the audience during the premiere, with the actress and director noting that she feels a deep connection to the country.

“Words cannot express what it means to me to have been entrusted with the mission of telling part of this country’s story,” she said. “This film was not made to focus on the horrors of the past, but to celebrate the resilience, kindness and talent of the Cambodian people.”

“Above all, this film is a way of saying thank you to Cambodia,” she continued. “Without Cambodia, I might not have become a mother. A part of my heart is and always will be in this country, and a part of this country will always be with me: Maddox.”

Maddox himself took center stage and addressed the audience:

“Thank you all for coming tonight. It’s finally happened. I’m so honored to be able to bring this film to you all and to be with my mother and family. Now, I’d like to introduce my sister, Shiro. She has something to say as well.”

Little Shiro then stepped up to the microphone and told the crowd in Khmer: “My name is Shiro and I love Cambodia.”

The Jolie-Pitts’ children were also in attendance at the premiere, where they met King Norodom Sihamoni.

That same day, the Oscar winner attended a press conference for the film, making her first public appearance since filing for divorce from Brad Pitt.

At the press conference, Jolie said she considered Cambodia “a second home,” adding that “Maddox is happy to be back in his country.”

The film is based on the autobiography of the same name by Jolie’s friend, Cambodian human rights activist Loung Ung. First my father was killed It tells the true story of the devastation wrought on Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge communist party in the 1970s.

“I read Lown’s book many years ago,” Jolie said at a press conference, “and it really opened my eyes to what was going on in the world.”

She added, “I wanted to tell the story through a child’s perspective, through the love of family, to show the beauty of this country and to help people understand what Maddox’s parents went through.”

During the purge, more than two million people out of a population of seven million were killed, including Ng’s father, mother and two sisters. “At its heart, this film is Lung’s story, it’s the story of a war seen through the eyes of a child, but it’s also the story of a country,” Jolie said in a promotional video for the film.

Jolie cast only Cambodian actors, many of whom were genocide survivors or the children of genocide survivors, and insisted that they speak only their native Khmer throughout the film. Jolie, Ng, and the producers hoped that the experience of making the film would be cathartic for the participants.

The actress’ love for Cambodia began after she filmed the film “Cambodian Love.” tomb raider In 2000, Jolie made the film The Secret of Azkaban in Cambodia. Shortly after filming finished, she returned to Cambodia as a volunteer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where she currently serves as a special envoy. In 2002, Jolie adopted her first child, Maddox, from an orphanage in Battambang.

“He just called me and said he was ready and he wanted to work on it, and he was,” Jolie said recently. Parents On Maddox’s role in the film: “He read the script, helped with notes and sat in on production meetings.”

Jolie’s second son, Pax, is also involved in the production: “Pax is shooting a lot of the stills,” Jolie told People magazine in 2015, adding that “the whole movie is told from a child’s point of view.”

First my father was killed It is scheduled to be released worldwide on Netflix later this year.

• Reporting by Mary Green and Helen Regan