“I feel very confident that the judge will find there’s no evidence at all,” Ricketson said before walking into the courtroom. Presiding Judge Seng Leang denied Ricketson’s request for bail, even as his lawyers argued he should be released on health and other grounds. Weir, the director of high-profile films including Picnic at Hanging Rock, Dead Poet’s Society and The Truman Show, was the first witness to be questioned in court about Ricketson’s alleged spying activities Australian director Peter Weir with Jesse Ricketson's partner Alex in Cambodia on Thursday. Credit:AAP Weir said he had been a friend and colleague to Ricketson for more than 45 years and could attest to his character.

“[His films] are made with passion and a concern for the human condition,” Weir said, adding that Ricketson had a profound interest in Cambodia and its people. He said Ricketson’s strong convictions had sometimes led to disputes in Australia’s film scene. “He could annoy people with his words. He would argue ... passionately for a belief,” Weir said. “He could never make propaganda.” Weir said Ricketson’s success with filmmaking was paralleled with that of raising his children - his son Jesse and his adopted daughters, Roxanne in Australia and Chanti in Cambodia.

The judge then questioned Weir about whether Ricketson - who has made documentaries for the ABC in the past - received Australian government funding for his films in Cambodia, a question Weir said should be asked directly of Ricketson. Ricketson also told the court that he had previously been tried and convicted in absentia for defamation involving an Australian church. Ricketson is facing up to 10 years behind bars under Article 446 of the Cambodian Criminal Code, which describes collecting information that could jeopardise Cambodia’s national defence as espionage. Weir said the espionage charge was an “unfortunate misunderstanding”, possibly due to a “clash of cultures”. “Like oxygen, we breathed freedom of speech our entire lives,” Weir said. “We speak without fear.”

Cambodia's government has sharply cracked down on the free press and political freedom in the past year. The opposition party Ricketson filmed was forcibly dissolved by Cambodia’s Supreme Court months after Ricketson’s arrest - a decision that saw the ruling party sweep to victory last month. “Australia is disappointed that Cambodian people have been unable to freely choose their representatives," Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in response the election. The trial is set to continue on August 20.