Oct 9, 2013

‘The Act of Killing’ Skirts Censors With Online Download

Thejakartaglobe.com - Director Joshua Oppenheimer has made his acclaimed documentary “The Act of Killing,” based on Indonesia’s 1965 anti-communist purge, available as a free download in the hope that the controversial film will reach a wider domestic audience.

The documentary, previously only seen in underground screenings, can now be downloaded from theactofkilling.com. Oppenheimer stated on the home page that the crew came together to make “The Act of Killing” free for all Indonesian people.

“It’s to fight forgetting the cruelty of the 1965 genocide. From today on, ‘ Jagal’ [the Indonesian title of the film] can be downloaded freely,” the director said.

“We would like you to play it, discuss it, and spread it to your friends across the country,” he added.

Oppenheimer said that he and his crew had worked for seven years to make the movie so there would be room for discussion without fear, with the hope that it would help in the country’s fight for truth, reconciliation and justice.

The chilling documentary — about a period of Indonesian history many would prefer to forget — made waves at film festivals worldwide and has spurred interest at home. The film focuses on Anwar Congo and Adi Zulkadry, two Medan-based preman, or gangsters, who re-enact their brutal roles in the mass killings that left up to a million dead nationwide.

The self-described thugs play themselves and their victims, addressing their violent history through the lens of popular American films in the disturbing, and often surreal, documentary.

While Indonesia’s Film Censorship Board has not banned the film, “The Act of Killing” was never officially released in domestic theaters. Download

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