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The Act of Killing

Documentary and Nonfiction Film

The Act of Killing is a 2012 documentary directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, in which former Indonesian death-squad leaders who participated in the anti-communist mass killings of 1965 and 1966 are invited to reenact their own killings in the style of the film genres they most admire, including gangster films and musicals. The unconventional format, having unpunished perpetrators stage and perform their own atrocities on camera, produces confessions and moments of self-confrontation that a conventional interview-based documentary could not have drawn out. The Act of Killing received widespread critical acclaim for its formal innovation and was credited with renewing public and scholarly attention in Indonesia to the killings and their unresolved legacy.

Facts
Classification
Original Language
Indonesian 1
Award
European Film Award for Best Documentary 1
Release Year
2012 1
CountrySourced to the subject's own account
Denmark, Indonesia, Norway, United Kingdom 2
FAQs

Did The Act of Killing win the Academy Award for documentary feature?

It was nominated but lost to 20 Feet from Stardom.

No. The film was a nominee for Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards ceremony of March 2, 2014, honoring movies released in 2013, with Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen named as its nominees. The award went to 20 Feet from Stardom.
Connections

Created By

Source The Act of Killing (Wikipedia)

In Medium

Film, Media Forms
Source The Act of Killing (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Original Language

Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.

Originated In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Sources
1. Wikidata: The Act of Killing
Wikidata Q7712287, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
2. The Act of Killing (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • lead sentence
    The Act of Killing is a 2012 documentary film directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, with Christine Cynn and an anonymous Indonesian co-directing.
  • second paragraph, first clause
    A co-production between Denmark, Indonesia, Norway, and the United Kingdom
  • The Act of Killing, lead paragraph (Wikipedia), original language
    The film was conceived following Oppenheimer and Cynn's Indonesian documentary film The Globalisation Tapes (2003), which depicted survivors of the killings, who ideated The Act of Killing.
  • In Medium: Film, Article lead sentence
    The Act of Killing (Indonesian: Jagal, lit. 'Butcher') is a 2012 documentary film directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, with Christine Cynn and an anonymous Indonesian co-directing.
  • Created By: Joshua Oppenheimer, Infobox: director
    Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous (co-director), Christine Cynn (co-director)
View the Source
The Act of Killing (Wikidata)
Wikidata P166: European Film Award for Best Documentary
Quote, Wikidata P166: European Film Award for Best Documentary
Wikidata P166 (award received): European Film Award for Best Documentary.
View the Source
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