'I was deeply affected': Angelina Jolie to direct original movie for Netflix based on Cambodian's memoir of survival during deadly Khmer Rouge regime
Angelina Jolie first child, 13-year-old Maddox, was born in Cambodia and her feelings for the country run deep.
So it's no surprise that the 40-year-old star is basing her next movie project on a memoir by Cambodian author and activist Loung Ung who, as a child, was exposed to the cruel Khmer Rouge regime in her country during the 1970s.
Angelina, who was 'deeply affected' by Ung's story, is set to to direct and produce First They Killed My Father: A Daughter Of Cambodia Remembers for Netflix, and she has also co-written the script.
Serious subject: Angelina Jolie is set to direct a movie for Netflix entitled First They Killed My Father: A Daughter Of Cambodia Remembers based on Loung Ung's memoir of survival during the cruel Khmer Rouge regime
Considering her previous directorial projects, including 2011's In The Land Of Milk And Honey and last year's Unbroken, Angelina picks subjects close to the heart.
'I was deeply affected by Loung’s book,' Angelina said in a statement, as reported by Variety. 'It deepened forever my understanding of how children experience war and are affected by the emotional memory of it.
'And it helped me draw closer still to the people of Cambodia, my son’s homeland.
Close to the heart: The 40-year-old actress - pictured directing Unbroken on set in Sydney, Australia in 2013 - said that she was 'deeply affected' by Ung's story
Maternal instinct: Angelina, pictured with twins Knox and Vivienne on Tuesday, said this story 'deepened forever my understanding of how children experience war and are affected by the emotional memory of it'
'It is a dream come true to be able to adapt this book for the screen, and I’m honored to work alongside Loung and filmmaker Rithy Panh.'
Angelina's son Maddox, whom she adopted from an orphanage in Cambodia in 2010 when he was seven months old, will also play a part in the movie's production.
Ties that bind: Angelina adopted her first child, Maddox, now 13, from a Cambodian orphanage when he was seven months old and he will assist in the production as well; mother and son were pictured in 2014
The Oscar-winner's friendship with author Ung actually began more than a decade ago.
'Angelina and I met in 2001 in Cambodia, and immediately, I trusted Angelina’s heart,' Loung Ung said, as published by Variety.
'Through the years, we have become close friends, and my admiration for Angelina as a woman, a mother, a filmmaker, and a humanitarian has only grown.
'It is with great honor that I entrust my family’s story to Angelina to adapt into a film.'
Pitt to give pointers? Brad Pitt - pictured with Angelina in May 2014 - will no doubt offer his expertise should she wish it
She knows what she wants: Angelina directed her first feature In The Land Of Milk And Honey in Budapest, Hungary and seemed to have a clear idea of how she wanted a scene to be shot here on November 12, 2010
When playing the wife of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Peal in 2007's A Mighty Heart, Angelina formed a similar bond with the real-life Mariane Pearl.
Angelina's newest film project will be available for streaming on Netflix sometime in late 2016.
The news comes three days after Angelina was spotted taking her youngest children, twins Knox and Vivienne, shopping at BookStar in Los Angeles' Studio City area.
The outing was a continuation of their seventh birthday celebration, which was feted in earnest on July 12 with a big party at their Loz Feliz area home that included an exciting ride.
Angelina and Brad's brood of six also includes their biological daughter Shiloh, nine, Pax, 11, who was adopted from Vietnam, and Zahara, 10, who was adopted from Ethiopia.
Road to discovery: The Oscar-winner is an avid reader of serious subjects and obviously encourages her youngsters to read books judging by their heavy totes while leaving BookStar in LA's Studio City on Tuesday
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