<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $14.4 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $34,700,291 </Td> </Tr> <P> The Killing Fields is a 1984 British biographical drama film about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, which is based on the experiences of two journalists: Cambodian Dith Pran and American Sydney Schanberg . It was directed by Roland Joffé and produced by David Puttnam for his company Goldcrest Films . Sam Waterston stars as Schanberg, Haing S. Ngor as Pran, Julian Sands as Jon Swain, and John Malkovich as Al Rockoff . The adaptation for the screen was written by Bruce Robinson; the musical score was written by Mike Oldfield and orchestrated by David Bedford . </P> <P> The film was a success at the box office as well as being an instant hit with critics . At the 57th Academy Awards it received seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture; it won three, most notably Best Supporting Actor for Haing S. Ngor, who had had no previous acting experience . At the 38th British Academy Film Awards, it won eight BAFTAs, including Best Film and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ngor . </P>

What was the movie the killing fields about