The Act of Killing - NZ film festival documentary exposes US-backed Indonesian death squads

The transcript of a Democacy Now Interview over the controversial documentary The Act of Killing featured at the New Zealand International Film Festival this month. Democracy Now editors warn that it is a rushed transcript and the copy may not be in its final form.

We spend the hour with Joshua Oppenheimer, the director of a groundbreaking new documentary called The Act of Killing.

The film is set in Indonesia, where, beginning in 1965, military and paramilitary forces slaughtered up to a million Indonesians after overthrowing the democratically elected government. That military was backed by the United States and led by General Suharto, who would rule Indonesia for decades.

There has been no truth and reconciliation commission, nor have any of the murderers been brought to justice. As the film reveals, Indonesia is a country where the killers are to this day celebrated as heroes by many.

Oppenheimer spent more than eight years interviewing the Indonesian death squad leaders, and in The Act of Killing, he works with them to re-enact the real-life killings in the style of American movies in which the men love to watch — this includes classic Hollywood gangster movies and lavish musical numbers.

A key figure he follows is Anwar Congo, who killed hundreds, if not a thousand people with his own hands and is now revered as a founding father of an active right-wing paramilitary organization.

We also ask Oppenheimer to discuss the film’s impact in Indonesia, where he screened it for survivors and journalists who have launched new investigations into the massacres.

The film is co-directed by Christine Cynn and an Indonesian co-director who remains anonymous for fear of retribution, as does much of the Indonesian film crew.

Its executive producers are Werner Herzog and Errol Morris. The Act of Killing opened on Friday in New York City, and will screen for the first time in New Zealand tomorrow.

Transcript opening
AMY GOODMAN: Today we spend the hour with the director of a groundbreaking new documentary called The Act of Killing. The film is set in Indonesia, where beginning in 1965 the military and paramilitary slaughtered up to a million Indonesians after overthrowing the government. That military was backed by the United States and led by General Suharto, who would rule Indonesia for decades.

There has been no truth and reconciliation commission. As the film says, Indonesia is a country where the killers are, to this day, celebrated as heroes. A key figure in the film is Anwar Congo, who killed hundreds, if not a thousand, people with his own hands and is now revered as a founding father of an active right-wing paramilitary organisation.

Well, director Joshua Oppenheimer spent more than eight years interviewing the Indonesian death squad leaders, and in The Act of Killing, he works with them to re-enact the real-life killings in the style of American movies the men love to watch. This includes classic Hollywood gangster movies and lavish musical numbers. The film is remarkable.

Now, the issue of the Indonesian military’s brutality is no stranger to our Democracy Now! audience. In 1990 and  1991, I traveled to Indonesia and occupied East Timor. I went there with reporter Allan Nairn. There, we witnessed a massacre by the U.S.-backed Indonesian military.

That was the Indonesian military occupying a foreign land. This film deals with the Indonesian military's murder of its own people.

Well, this week, I sat down with Joshua Oppenheimer to talk about The Act of Killing, which he directed with Christine Cynn and an Indonesian co-director who remains anonymous for fear of retribution for making the film, as does much of the Indonesian film crew.

Its executive producers are Werner Herzog and Errol Morris. Here is a clip from the film’s trailer.

        HERMAN KOTO: [translated] Cut! Cut! Cut! You acted so well, but you can stop crying now.

        ADI ZULKADRY: [translated] "War crimes" are defined by the winners. I’m a winner.

        UNIDENTIFIED: [translated] Have mercy on me!

        ANWAR CONGO: [translated] Honestly, I never expected it to look this brutal.

        I can’t do that again.

        UNIDENTIFIED: [translated] Kill!

        ANWAR CONGO: [translated] I did this to so many people. Have I sinned?

AMY GOODMAN: That’s the trailer for The Act of Killing, a new film that has been eight years in the making. Its director, Josh Oppenheimer, joins us now in studio, longtime filmmaker who has worked for over a decade with militias, death squads, their victims, to examine political violence and the public imagination. The Act of Killing’s co-director remains anonymous. Its executive producers are Werner Herzog and Errol Morris.

Joshua Oppenheimer, welcome to Democracy Now!

JOSHUA OPPENHEIMER: Thank you so much.

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The Act of Killing