Joshua Oppenheimer’s award-winning documentary on Indonesia’s 1965 mass killings, “The Look of Silence”, may have missed out on winning an Oscar, but it still continues to win critical acclaim, the latest of which was the best documentary award at the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
The video above shows Oppenheimer coming up on stage to accept the award along with producer Signe Byrge Sorensen and the main character in the documentary, Adi Rukun.
After the awards ceremony, Oppenheimer said that he actually had a speech prepared but they were played off the stage as soon as Sorensen had finished hers. Thankfully, Indiewire has a full transcript of Oppenheimer’s speech that he intended to give during the award acceptance.
One particular point stood out from the transcript:
“Yet the silence in the title also refers to our silence. Because the Indonesian genocide is not just Indonesian history, but American history. The US provided weapons, money, and training to the death squads, and lists of thousands of names of public figures whom United States wanted killed. We in the us must do the same work as Indonesians. We must declassify the documents that reveal our role in these crimes, and take responsibility.
We are so honored by the support of the independent film community, because your recognition of our work helps us use the film to make real change. Right after the Oscars, we will be traveling with Indonesia’s national human rights commission to Washington, D.C., to meet with White House staff, urging our government to declassify the documents and acknowledge its role in these crimes. Film, particularly independent film, can hold up a mirror of truth, but only with your help. For that help, we are so grateful.”
So yes, Oppenheimer and crew’s work to bring justice to the victims of the 1965 genocide did not end with the “The Look of Silence”. We wish them all the best in their endeavor so that the Indonesian government will finally recognize the atrocities of the mass killings and bring justice to the victims and their families.
“The Look of Silence”, from American director Joshua Oppenheimer and a team of Indonesian filmmakers (who have chosen to remain anonymous to protect their safety), tells the story of Adi, an optometrist whose brother was one of the estimated 500,000 to 1 million civilians killed during the massacres of communists and suspected communists in 1965. In the documentary, Adi confronts the thugs behind his brother’s murder. It’s a companion piece to Oppenheimer’s 2012 documentary “The Act of Killing”.
You can watch both of the award-winning documentaries below:
