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* Best Documentary - St. Louis Film Critics (Nominee)<ref>[http://www.stlfilmcritics.org/st-louis-film-critics-awards-nominees-for-2013-announced/]. St. Louis Film Critics Awards Nominees For 2013 Announced</ref>
* Best Documentary - St. Louis Film Critics (Nominee)<ref>[http://www.stlfilmcritics.org/st-louis-film-critics-awards-nominees-for-2013-announced/]. St. Louis Film Critics Awards Nominees For 2013 Announced</ref>
* Best Documentary - Phoenix Film Critics Society (Nominee)<ref>[http://phoenixfilmcriticssociety.org/article/208/phoenix-film-critics-society-2013-award-nominations.html]. Phoenix Film Critics Society 2013 Award Nominations</ref>
* Best Documentary - Phoenix Film Critics Society (Nominee)<ref>[http://phoenixfilmcriticssociety.org/article/208/phoenix-film-critics-society-2013-award-nominations.html]. Phoenix Film Critics Society 2013 Award Nominations</ref>
* Best Documentary - San Diego Film Critics Society (Nominee)<ref>[http://www.sdfcs.org/san-diego-film-critics-nominate-top-films-for-2013/]. San Diego Film Critics Nominate Top Films for 2013</ref>
* Best Documentary - San Diego Film Critics Society<ref>[http://www.sdfcs.org/san-diego-film-critics-nominate-top-films-for-2013/]. San Diego Film Critics Nominate Top Films for 2013</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 03:53, 12 December 2013

The Act of Killing
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoshua Oppenheimer
Produced bySigne Byrge Sørensen
Executive:
Werner Herzog
Errol Morris
Andre Singer
Joram Ten Brink
CinematographyCarlos Arango de Montis
Lars Skree
Edited byNiels Pagh Andersen
Janus Billeskov Jansen
Mariko Montpetit
Charlotte Munch Bengtsen
Ariadna Fatjó-Vilas Mestre
Music byElin Øyen Vister
Production
companies
Final Cut for Real
DK
Distributed byDet Danske Filminstitut (Denmark)
Dogwoof Pictures (UK)
Drafthouse Films (US)
Release dates
  • 31 August 2012 (2012-08-31) (Telluride)
  • 8 September 2012 (2012-09-08) (TIFF)
  • 1 November 2012 (2012-11-01) (Indonesia)
  • 8 November 2012 (2012-11-08) (Denmark)
  • 28 June 2013 (2013-06-28) (UK)
Running time
122 minutes[1]
159 minutes (Director's cut)
CountriesNorway
Denmark
United Kingdom
LanguageIndonesian
Budget$1 million[2]
Box office$444,575[3]

The Act of Killing (Template:Lang-id) is a 2012 documentary film directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn, and an anonymous co-director.[4] It is a Danish-British-Norwegian co-production, presented by Final Cut for Real in Denmark and produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen. The executive producers were Werner Herzog, Errol Morris, Joram ten Brink, and Andre Singer. It is a Docwest project of the University of Westminster.

Synopsis

When Sukarno was overthrown by Suharto following the failed coup of the 30 September Movement in 1965, the gangsters Anwar Congo and Adi Zulkadry in Medan (North Sumatra) were promoted from selling black market movie theatre tickets to leading the most notorious death squad in North Sumatra, as part of the Indonesian killings of 1965–66. They also extorted ethnic Chinese locals, killing those who refused to pay. Anwar personally killed approximately 1,000 people, usually by strangling with wire.

Today, Anwar is revered as a founding father of the right-wing paramilitary organization Pemuda Pancasila that grew out of the death squads. The organization is so powerful that its leaders include government ministers, and they are happy to boast about everything from corruption and election rigging to genocide. A regime was founded on crimes against humanity, yet has never been held accountable.

Invited by Oppenheimer, Anwar and his friends eagerly re-enact the killings for the cameras, and make dramatic scenes depicting their memories and feelings about the killings. The scenes are produced in the style of their favorite film genres: gangster, western, and musical. Various aspects of Anwar and his friends' filmmaking process are shown, but as they begin to dramatize Anwar's own nightmares, the fiction scenes begin to take over the film's form, leading the film to become increasingly surreal and nightmarish. Oppenheimer has called the result "a documentary of the imagination."

Some of Anwar's friends realize that the killings were wrong. Others worry about the consequences of the story on their public image. Younger members of Pemuda Pancasila argue that they should boast about the horror of the massacres, because their terrifying and threatening force is the basis of their power today.

After Anwar plays a victim, he cannot continue. He says that he feels what his victims have felt. Oppenheimer, from behind the camera, points out that it was much worse for the victims, because Anwar is only acting. Anwar then expresses doubts over whether he has sinned or not, tearfully saying he does not want the memories of what he did to come back to him. He revisits the rooftop where he claims to have killed many before repeatedly gagging. The dancers from the film's theatrical poster are seen before the credits begin to roll.

Production

The film was shot mostly in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, between 2005 and 2011. Werner Herzog and Errol Morris, after seeing an early preview of The Act of Killing, signed on as executive producers.

Criticism

In some quarters Oppenheimer has been accused of treating his subjects in bad faith. As far as their goal at the beginning was to glorify mass murder, Oppenheimer responds that could never have been his goal, therefore that side of them may have been betrayed.[5][6][7][8] In an interview with The Village Voice, Oppenheimer said, "When I was entrusted by this community of survivors to film these justifications, to film these boastings, I was trying to expose and interrogate the nature of impunity. Boasting about killing was the right material to do that with because it is a symptom of impunity."[9]

The main protagonists in the film, Anwar Congo and Herman Koto, have seen the film and neither feels deceived, according to Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer says that upon watching the film Anwar Congo "started to cry... Tearfully, he told me: 'This is the film I expected. It's an honest film, a true film.' He said he was profoundly moved and will always remain loyal to it."[10] A subsequent interview on Al Jazeera's program "101 East" revealed that Anwar had misgivings about the film and the negative reaction to it in Indonesia, which was causing problems for him. He confided these concerns directly to Oppenheimer in an apparent Skype conversation displayed within the program.[11]

Australian National University Professor of Asian history and politics Robert Cribb stated that the film lacks historical context.[12] In reply, Oppenheimer said that "the film is essentially not about what happened in 1965, but rather about a regime in which genocide has, paradoxically, been effaced [yet] celebrated – in order to keep the survivors terrified, the public brainwashed, and the perpetrators able to live with themselves.... It never pretends to be an exhaustive account of the events of 1965. It seeks to understand the impact of the killing and terror today, on individuals and institutions."[13]

An Indonesian academic, Soe Tjen Marching, analyzed the film in relation to Hannah Arendt's theory of the banality of evil.[14]

Critical reception

The Act of Killing received worldwide critical acclaim. Template:Rots On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 88 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."[15]

Nick Schager of The Village Voice called it a "masterpiece."[16] Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Chris Hedges called the film "an important exploration of the complex psychology of mass murderers" and that "it is not the demonized, easily digestible caricature of a mass murderer that most disturbs us. It is the human being."[17] British film magazine Sight & Sound elected 'The Act of Killing' their film of the year.

Awards

  • Berlinale Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary 2013[18]
  • Berlinale Panorama Prize of the Ecumenical Jury 2013[19]
  • 2013 Danish Academy Award for Best Documentary (Robert Award)[20]
  • 2013 Special Prize of the Danish Film Critics Association – Bodil Awards (Sær Bodil)[21]
  • Grand Prize – CPH:DOX 2012[22]
  • Grand Prix (Documentaire) – Festival de Cinéma Valenciennes 2013[23]
  • Grand Prize of the Jury – Documenta Madrid 2013[24]
  • Audience Award for Best Film – Documenta Madrid 2013[25]
  • Grand Prix – Beldocs Belgrade International Documentary Film Festival 2013[26]
  • Audience Award for Best Feature Film – FICUNAM Mexico City 2013[27]
  • Best Film – Prague One World Festival 2013[28]
  • Movies That Matter Award – ZagrebDox 2013[29]
  • Critics Prize – Istanbul Independent Film Festival 2013[30]
  • Gilda Vieira de Mello Prize – Geneva International Human Rights Film Festival 2013[31]
  • Amnesty International Award – IndieLisboa 2013[32]
  • Audience Award – Planete+ Doc Film Festival Warsaw 2013[33]
  • Grand Prix Dolnego Śląska – Planete+ Doc Film Festival Warsaw 2013[34]
  • Grand Prize – DocsBarcelona Film Festival 2013[35]
  • Special Jury Award - Sheffield Doc/Fest 2013[36]
  • Audience Award - Sheffield Doc/Fest 2013[37]
  • Grand Prize - Biografilm Festival Italy 2013[38]
  • Golden Chair - Grimstad Short and Documentary Film Festival 2013[39]
  • Basil Wright Prize - Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival 2013[40]
  • Aung San Suu Kyi Award - Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival 2013[41]
  • The Stanley Kubrick Award for Bold and Innovative Filmmaking - Traverse City Film Festival 2013[42]
  • Documentary Grand Prix - Batumi International Art Film Festival 2013[43]
  • Best Nordic Documentary Award - Nordisk Panorama 2013[44]
  • Press Jury Prize - Message to Man International Film Festival 2013[45]
  • The Mayor’s Prize - Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2013[46]
  • Troféu Janela de Melhor Filme (The Best Film) - VI Janela Internacional de Cinema do Recife[47]
  • Checkpoints Prize - Bergen International Film Festival 2013[48]
  • Brtidoc Puma Impact Award 2013[49]
  • Best Documentary - Film Independent Spirit Awards (Nominee)[50]
  • Sight & Sound Top 10 Films of 2013 (#1)[51]
  • Best Motion Picture, Documentary - Satellite Awards[52]
  • Best Documentary - Gotham Independent Film Awards 2013[53]
  • Best Documentary - European Film Awards 2013[54]
  • Best Documentary - Boston Online Film Critics Association[55]
  • Best New Filmmaker - Boston Online Film Critics Association (Runner-up)[56]
  • Best Documentary - Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (Nominee)[57]
  • Best Documentary - New York Film Critics Online[58]
  • Best Documentary - Los Angeles Film Critics Assciation (Runner-up)[59]
  • Best Documentary - Detroit Film Critics Society (Nominee)[60]
  • Best Documentary - Online Film Critics Society (Nominee)[61]
  • Best Documentary - St. Louis Film Critics (Nominee)[62]
  • Best Documentary - Phoenix Film Critics Society (Nominee)[63]
  • Best Documentary - San Diego Film Critics Society[64]

References

  1. ^ "THE ACT OF KILLING (15)". Dogwoof Pictures. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  2. ^ "The Act of Killing (2012) - Box office / business". Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Act of Killing (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  4. ^ Shoard, Catherine (14 September 2012). "The Act of Killing – review". The Guardian.
  5. ^ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/15/actors-may-sue-director-lauded-film-pki-killings.html
  6. ^ http://my.news.yahoo.com/feature-overnight-celebrity-act-killing-080007833.html
  7. ^ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/30/1965-victims-protest-against-the-act-of-killing.html
  8. ^ http://www.dfi-film.dk/berlin-2013/berlin-2013/the-act-of-killing-3
  9. ^ http://www.villagevoice.com/2013-07-17/film/joshua-oppenheimer-on-the-act-of-killing/
  10. ^ APPLEBAUM, STEPHEN (April 13, 2013) Indonesia's killing fields revisited in Joshua Oppenheimer's documentary. The Australian
  11. ^ Killing Fields". Al Jazeera English. 101 East. December 20, 2012
  12. ^ Cribb, Robert (April-June 2013). "Review: An act of manipulation?". Inside Indonesia.
  13. ^ Melvin, Jess (April-June 2013). "An interview with Joshua Oppenheimer". Inside Indonesia.
  14. ^ Marching, Soe Tjen (5 July 2013). "Coming to Grips With the Banality of Mass Murder in Indonesia's Past". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  15. ^ "The Act of Killing". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  16. ^ Schager, Nick (July 17, 2003). "The Act of Killing Is a Masterpiece of Murder and the Movies". The Village Voice.
  17. ^ Chris Hedges (23 September 2013). The Act of Killing. Truthdig. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  18. ^ the Panorama Audience Award . Berlinale 2013
  19. ^ the Ecumenical Jury award. Berlinale 2013
  20. ^ Robert Award for Best Documentary. Danish Academy Award 2013
  21. ^ Bodil Awards (Sær Bodil). Bodil Awards 2013
  22. ^ Grand Prize (DOX: AWARD). CPH DOX 2012
  23. ^ Grand Prix (Documentaire). Festival de Cinéma Valenciennes 2013
  24. ^ Grand Prize of the Jury. Documenta Madrid 2013
  25. ^ Audience Award for Best Film. Documenta Madrid 2013
  26. ^ Grand Prize. Beldocs Belgrade International Documentary Film Festival 2013
  27. ^ Audience Award for Best Feature Film. FICUNAM Mexico City 2013
  28. ^ The Best Film Award. Prague One World Festival 2013
  29. ^ Movies That Matter Award. ZagrebDox 2013
  30. ^ Turkish Film Critics Award “The Act of Killing”. Istanbul International Independent Film Festival 2013
  31. ^ Gilda Vieira de Mello Prize. Geneva International Human Rights Film Festival 2013
  32. ^ Amnesty International Award. IndieLisboa 2013
  33. ^ THE AUDIENCE AWARD. Planete+ Doc Film Festival Warsaw 2013
  34. ^ Lower Silesia Grand Prix – The Marshall of Lower Silesia Award. Planete+ Doc Film Festival Warsaw 2013
  35. ^ Grand Prize. DocsBarcelona Film Festival 2013
  36. ^ Special Jury Award. Sheffield Doc/Fest 2013
  37. ^ Audience Award. Sheffield Doc/Fest 2013
  38. ^ Grand Prize. Biografilm Festival Italy 2013
  39. ^ Golden Chair. Grimstad Short and Documentary Film Festival 2013
  40. ^ Basil Wright Prize. Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival 2013
  41. ^ Aung San Suu Kyi Award. Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival 2013
  42. ^ The Stanley Kubrick Award. Traverse City Film Festival 2013
  43. ^ Documentary Grand Prix. Batumi International Art Film Festival 2013
  44. ^ Best Nordic Documentary Award. Nordisk Panorama 2013
  45. ^ The List of Prize Winners. XXIII Intertational Film Festival Message to Man
  46. ^ YIDFF 2013 Award Recipients. Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2013
  47. ^ Janela de Cinema Encerra Edição 2013 com Recorde de Público. Janela Internacional de Cinema do Recife 2013
  48. ^ Checkpointsprisen: THE ACT OF KILLING. Bergen International Film Festival 2013
  49. ^ Puma Impact Award Goes To...The Act of Killing. Brtidoc Puma Impact Award 2013
  50. ^ [1]. Best Documentary | Nominee Category | Spirit Awards 2014
  51. ^ [2]. ‘The Act of Killing’ Tops Sight & Sound 2013 Poll
  52. ^ [3]. Satellite Awards - 2013 Nominations
  53. ^ Full List of Winners. 23rd Gotham Independent Film Awards 2013
  54. ^ European Film Awards Winners. European Film Awards 2013
  55. ^ [4]. THE 2013 BOSTON ONLINE FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
  56. ^ [5]. THE 2013 BOSTON ONLINE FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
  57. ^ [6]. The 2013 WAFCA Awards
  58. ^ [7]. '12 Years a Slave' Named Best Picture by New York Online Critics
  59. ^ [8]. 2013 Los Angeles Film Critics (LAFCA) Winners
  60. ^ [9]. American Hustle, Short Term 12 lead Detroit critics nominations
  61. ^ [10]. The Online Film Critics Society Announces 17th Annual Awards
  62. ^ [11]. St. Louis Film Critics Awards Nominees For 2013 Announced
  63. ^ [12]. Phoenix Film Critics Society 2013 Award Nominations
  64. ^ [13]. San Diego Film Critics Nominate Top Films for 2013
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