The Look of Silence

Through Joshua Oppenheimer’s work filming perpetrators of the Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discovers how their son was murdered and the identity of the men who killed him. The youngest brother is determined to break the spell of silence and fear under which the survivors live, and so confronts the men responsible for his brother’s murder - something unimaginable in a country where killers remain in power.

Director’s notes:

THE ACT OF KILLING exposed the consequences for all of us when we build our everyday reality on terror and lies. THE LOOK OF SILENCE explores what it is like to be a survivor in such a reality. Making any film about survivors of genocide is to walk into a minefield of clichés, most of which serve to create a heroic (if not saintly) protagonist with whom we can identify, thereby offering the false reassurance that, in the moral catastrophe of atrocity, we are nothing like perpetrators. But presenting survivors as saintly in order to reassure ourselves that we are good is to use survivors to deceive ourselves. It is an insult to survivors’ experience, and does nothing to help us understand what it means to survive atrocity, what it means to live a life shattered by mass violence, and to be silenced by terror. To navigate this minefield of clichés, we have had to explore silence itself.

The result, THE LOOK OF SILENCE, is, I hope, a poem about a silence borne of terror – a poem about the necessity of breaking that silence, but also about the trauma that comes when silence is broken.  Maybe the film is a monument to silence – a reminder that although we want to move on, look away and think of other things, nothing will make whole what has been broken. Nothing will wake the dead. We must stop, acknowledge the lives destroyed, strain to listen to the silence that follows.

Gallery

Awards

Grand Jury Prize - Venice Film Festival 2014
Critics Prize (FIPRESCI) - Best Film of Venice Film Festival 2014
European Critics Prize (FEDEORA) - Best European and Mediterranean Film of Venice Film Festival 2014
Online Critics Prize (Mouse d’Oro) - Best Film of Venice Film Festival 2014
Human Rights Nights Award - Venice Film Festival 2014
Danish Academy Award for Best Documentary (Robert Prize) - 2015
Danish Film Critics Association Prize for Best Documentary (Bodil Prize) - 2015
Peace Film Prize - Berlin Film Festival 2015
Best World Documentary (Cinephile Prize) - Busan International Film Festival 2014
Audience Award - Best Film, Festival Favorites - SXSW Film Festival 2015
Dragon Award Best Documentary - Gothenburg International Film Festival 2015
Audience Award - Best Film - Festival d'Angers 2015
Audience Award - Sheffield Doc/Fest 2015
Grand Prize (DOX Award) - CPH:DOX 2014
Aung San Suu Kyi Award - Burma Human Rights Human Dignity Film Festival 2015
Prize of the Danish Arts Council - 2014
True Life Award - True/False Film Festival 2015
Audience Award - Documenta Madrid 2015
Audience Award - Docs Barcelona 2015
Amnesty International Award - Docs Barcelona 2015
Grand Prix - Festival de Cinéma Valenciennes 2015
Prix de la Critique - Festival de Cinéma Valenciennes 2015
Prix Étudiants - Festival de Cinéma Valenciennes 2015
Best Documentary - Sofia International Film Festival 2015
Best Film - Prague One World Film Festival 2015
Audience Award - Movies That Matter Festival 2015
Best Documentary - Denver Film Festival 2014
Best Documentary - Victoria Film Festival 2015
Best Director (Baltic Gaze) - Vilnius International Film Festival 2015
Amnesty International Award - Docs Against Gravity - Warsaw 2015
Wild Dreamer Award - Subversive Film Festival 2015
Special Jury Prize - NordicDocs 2015
Best Director (Documentary) - River Run Film Festival 2015
Don Quixote Prize - Tromsø International Film Festival 2015
Best Film - Cine de Derechos Humanos - Uruguay International Film Festival 2015
Best Documentary - Calgary Underground Film Festival 2015

Credits

Directed by
Joshua Oppenheimer

Co-director
Anonymous

Produced by
Signe Byrge Sørensen

Executive Producers
Werner Herzog
Errol Morris
André Singer

Associate producers
Anne Köhncke
Maria Kristensen
Heidi Elise Christensen
Joram Ten Brink

Co-producers
Anonymous
Kaarle Aho
Torstein Grude
Bjarte Mørner Tveit

Director of Photography
Lars Skree

Additional Camera
Anonymous
Joshua Oppenheimer
Christine Cynn

Editor
Niels Pagh Andersen

Assistant Editor
Mariko Montpetit

Sound Editor and Mix
Henrik Garnov

Line Producers
Anonymous
Anonymous

Production Managers
Maria Kristensen
Heidi Elise Christensen
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous

Assistant Directors
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous

Production Assistants
Anonymous
Anonymous

Camera assistant
Anonymous

Gaffer
Anonymous

Drivers
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous

Indonesian Research and Outreach
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous

Editing Assistant
Virgil Kastrup

Post Production Managers
Maria Kristensen
Lina Wichmann

Post Production Services
Hinterland AS
Duckling

Nordisk Film Shortcut

Dicentia Studios

Colorist and Visual Effects
Tom Chr. Lilletvedt

Assistant Colourist
Joakim Hauge

Special Effects
Nordisk Film Shortcut

Office Manager (Norway)
Oddleiv Vik

Graphics
NR2154

Motion Graphics Artist
Emil Thorbjørnsson

Lawyers
Katrine Schlüther Schierbeck
Else Helland

Accounting
Korthe Barfod
Vassdal & Eriksen AS, Christian Eide
Hanna Pärkkä

Auditing
Tore Kristian Tjemsland
Pauli Aaltonen

Beierholm, Jan Arildslund and Morten Staghøj

Insurance
Jens-Georg Hansen
Lyberg & Partnere

Archive material
Courtesy of NBC Universal Archives

Music
Seri Banang (traditional)
Mana Tahan (traditional)

Lukisan Malam
Composer: E. Sambayon
Lyrics: Sakti Alamsyah
Performed by Sam Saimun
Courtesy of Irama Record

Rege Rege (traditional)

Subtitle Consultant
Dansk Videotekst
Shusaku Harada

Very Special Thanks
Taman ’65, Sharad Agrawal, Benedict Anderson, Anonymous, Anonymous,
Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous,
Sumyi Khong Antonson, Michael Arnon, Haris Azhar, Ori Bader,
Orlando Bagwell, Aaron Balick, Charlotte Munch Bengtsen, Evan Berland,
Heather Berland, Russell Berland, Sarah Berland, Dola Bonfils, Theodore Braun,
Tom Brookes, Carmel Budiardjo, Manneke Budiman, Brady Case, Christina Chelsia Chan,
Carol Chase, Elliot Chase, Stephen Chase, Angel Cheng, Charlie Clements,
Catherine Corman, Christine Cynn, David Cynn, Jhin Cynn, Won Cynn, Mark Danner,
Lucy Davis, Laurin Dietrich, Nia Dinata, Tony Dowmunt, Edwin, Gareth Evans.
Hilmar Farid, Catherine Feinen, Charles Ferguson, Sidsel Filipsen, Beadie Finzi,
Tine Fischer, Forum Buruh Lintas Pabrik , Kim Foss, Maxyne Franklin,
Anna Godas, Amy Goodman, Peter Goodwin, Maja Giese, Aaron Glimme,
Lotte Grauballe, Alfred Guzzetti, Usman Hamid, Taufiq Hanafi, Sidsel Hansen,
Shouichi Harada, Shusaku Harada, Toyomi Harada, Oli Harbottle, Muhammad Harits,
Andreas Harsono, Brittani Head, Georgia Leigh Hearn, Monica Hellström,
Hendrayana, Olivia Herman, Ariel Heryanto, Lena Herzog, Lone Hey, Papang Hidayat,
Annette Hill, Telse Hübertz, Evan Husney, Felencia Hutabarat, Adin Hysteria,
Arine Kirstein Høgel, Jakob Kirstein Høgel, Maman Imanulhaq,
May Adadol Ingawanij, Jemi Irwansyah, Janus Billeskov Jansen, Raharja Waluya Jati,
Lars Johansson, Søren Henrik Jørgensen, Simon Kilmurry, Claire Kessie, Laura Kim,
Elinor Kowarsky, Anne Marie Kurstein, Nurlaela Lamasitudju, Max Lane, Nikolai Lang,
Katrine Larney, Brith Larsen, Tim League, Liga Mahasiswa Untuk Demokrasi,
Todung Mulya Lubis, Lena Lundt, Irene Lusztig, Olga Lydia, Elise McCave,
Bojana Makavejev, Dusan Makavejev, Valentin Manz, Soe Tjen Marching,
Faiza Mardzoeki, James Marsh, Marsinha FM, Richard Melman, Josephine Michau,
Aase Mikkelsen, Jodi Miller, Robb Moss, Elisabeth Ida Mulyani, Suciwati Munir,
Nobodycopr, International Unlimited, Susan Norget, Bitang Nusantara, David Nuzum,
Dede Oetomo, Barbara Oppenheimer, Carol Oppenheimer, Joe Oppenheimer,
Sarah Oppenheimer, Mikael Opstrup, Edwin Partogi Pasaribu, Tunggal Pawestri,
Geoff Petts, Iwan Meulia, Yosep Adi Prasetyo, Pirous, R. Puspitasari, Karen Ranucci,
Ene Katrine Rasmussen, Marlene Schiött Rasmussen, Ayu Ratih, Michael Ratner,
B. Ruby Rich, Benoit, Roland, Andrea Romeo, John Roosa, Satyajit Sakar,
Sanna Salmenkallio, Omer Sami, Jess Search, Peter Sellars, Steve Pillar Setiabudi,
Arash Setoodeh, Noga Shalev, James Shapiro, John Sidel, Adinda Simandjuntak,
Morton Simon, Samuel Simon, Bradley Simpson, Ronen Skaletzky, Stephen Smith,
Arief Adityawan Sosrojudho, Gordon Spragg, Gabby Stein, Thomas Stenderup,
Budiman Sudjatmiko, Stephen Suleeman, Hasto Atmojo Suroyo, Per Byrge Sørensen,
Ida Byrge Sørensen, Søren Tarp, Meiske Taurisia, Rosie Thomas, Sheila Timothy,
Toko Buku Buruh Membaca, Dian Septi Trisnanti, Bilven Ultimus, Bedjo Untung,
Ayu Utami, Michael Uwemedimo, Baskara T. Wardaya, Diane Wyermann,
Sandra Whipham, Andy Whittaker, Jeffrey Winters, Philip Yampolsky,
Andrea Zimmerman, Daniel Ziv, Slavoj Zizek, Arief Zulkifli, Slavoj Zizek.

Developed with support of
The Danish Film Institute
Danida

Produced with the support of
Danish Film Institute – Film Commissioner Helle Hansen
Nordisk Film & TV Fond – Film consultant Karolina Lidin
Danida
Bertha BRITDOC
The Finnish Film Foundation - Film Commissioner Elina Kivihalme
The Freedom of Expression Foundation
Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program
Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media, University of Westminster
Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK

Produced in collaboration with
ZDF in collaboration with ARTE – Sabine Bubeck-Paaz
DR K – Flemming Hedegaard Larsen
NRK – Tore Tomter
YLE – Iikka Vehkalahti
VPRO – Nathalie Windhorst
Vision Machine Film Project

Produced by
Final Cut for Real ApS

Co-produced by
Anonymous
Making Movies Oy
Piraya Film

In association with
Spring Films Ltd

International Sales Agent
Cinephil – Philippa Kowarsky

Festival Distribution
Danish Film Institute

© 2014 Final Cut for Real Aps, Anonymous, Piraya Film AS, and Making Movies Oy