Drafthouse Films Acquires ‘The Act of Killing’

One of the most widely talked about and controversial documentaries to come off the festival circuit this year is the Danish film The Act of Killing, directed by Joshua Oppenheimer. The film centers on two Indonesian death squad leaders who are asked to recreate some of the most heinous acts they performed while working under a tyrannical regime.

LOS ANGELES, CA – October 31st, 2012 – Drafthouse Films, the film distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, announced today the acquisition of US rights to The Act Of Killing, the breakout Danish documentary that shook audiences at this year’s Toronto and Telluride International Film Festivals. Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, the film ventures deep into the minds of former Indonesian death squad leaders who are challenged to reenact their real-life mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers. A 30-market theatrical release and awards campaign for Best Documentary Feature is planned for The Act Of Killing in 2013.

Chronicling one of the most overlooked genocides in recent history, The Act Of Killing utilizes dramatization to illustrate the banal state of corruption and impunity the unrepentant, locally celebrated former executioners inhabit. The film earned early praise from master documentarians Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Into The Abyss) and Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog Of War), whose enthusiasm for the film lead to their role as Executive Producers. “I have not seen a film as powerful, surreal, and frightening in at least a decade,” says Herzog, “it is unprecedented in the history of cinema.” Morris adds, “like all great documentaries, The Act of Killing demands another way of looking at reality…an amazing and impressive film.”