Summaries

A daring look at the underbelly of the global art market, LOOT exposes the criminal network that used child soldiers to violently raid Cambodian temples then delivered blood antiquities to the homes of billionaires and elite museums.

From remote Cambodian villages to elite art institutions in New York, LOOT is a daring look into the underbelly of the multi-billion-dollar art market and the deadly reality behind "blood antiquities" filling Western museums today. Orchestrating a lucrative criminal network during the Cambodian civil war, British "adventure-scholar" Douglas Latchford led a team in the looting of thousand-year-old temples buried in landmine-riddled jungles. LOOT features unprecedented access, including to "Blue Tiger," a child-soldier-turned-looter now working to bring artifacts home, the Cambodian investigators and the American detective who organized "Operation Indochina Peninsula Plunder" which led to Latchford's indictment. The film tells the gripping story of the contrast of rich and poor as viewers learn about multi-million-dollar sales of works looted by Cambodian farmers paid $20.00 per week while risking their lives. LOOT also takes viewers behind-the-scenes as stolen pieces are returned to Cambodia, including some arriving from New York's Met Museum in July 2024. With thousands of pieces still overseas, Cambodia's relentless struggle continues against the most powerful figures in the art world today.

Details

Genres
  • Crime
  • History
  • Documentary
Release date Dec 18, 1990
Countries of origin Canada
Language English Central Khmer
Filming locations Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Production companies New Theory Pictures

Box office

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 27m
Aspect ratio 1.9:1

Synopsis

All Filters