In the face of evil

notes on Duch, the master of the forges of hell

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30962/ecomps.3060

Keywords:

Duch, Khmer Rouge, Rithy Panh

Abstract

The article presents the philosophical approaches between the figures of Eichmann, based on Arendt's reports, and Duch from archival research and, above all, the footage created by Panh. It's the concept of the banality of evil that we choose to present in the first part of the essay, seeking to point out the issues of a modus operandi that crosses these two perpetrators in the machination of the respective exterminations in which they participated. In the second part, the text focuses on analyzing the documentary Duch, the master of the forges of hell, reflecting on how this film becomes a way of revealing the secrets of the Khmer Rouge perpetrator.

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Author Biographies

Ricardo Lessa Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

Professor adjunto do Departamento de Comunicação da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Professor convidado do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Artes Visuais da mesma universidade. Atualmente realiza um segundo estágio de Pós-Doutorado com apoio do Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). Doutor pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (PPGCom-UFPE).

Frederico Vieira, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Professor do curso de Relações Públicas da Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais (PUC-Minas). Doutor pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (PPGCOM-UFMG). Mestre em Comunicação pela mesma instituição. Gerente de Relações Públicas da Assembleia Legislativa de Minas Gerais (ALMG).

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Published

10-02-2025

How to Cite

Lessa Filho, R., & Vieira, F. (2025). In the face of evil: notes on Duch, the master of the forges of hell. E-Compós. https://doi.org/10.30962/ecomps.3060

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Copyright (c) 2025 Ricardo Lessa Filho, Frederico Vieira

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