The Act of Killing

In surreal musical and gangster movie scenes, mass murderers play themselves as well as their victims. One of the most acclaimed films in the history of documentary cinema.

In a country where killers are celebrated as heroes, filmmakers challenge unrepentant death squad leader Anwar Congo and his friends to dramatise their role in genocide. But their idea of being in a movie is not to provide testimony for a documentary. Instead, they want to star in their favourite genres – gangster film, western, and musical. So they write the scripts. They play themselves. And they play their victims, too. The hallucinatory result is a cinematic fever dream, an unsettling journey deep into the imaginations of mass-murderers and the shockingly banal regime of corruption and impunity they inhabit.

The Act of Killing is an exceptionally brave example of confrontation of history, written by an evil power. It is widely regarded as the greatest documentary of the 21st century, and, possibly, of all times.

CPH:DOX 2012 — DOX:AWARD
European Film Awards 2013 — Best Documentary
Berlinale 2013 — Panorama Audience Award, Ecumenical Jury Prize
Sheffield DocFest 2013
Oscar Academy Awards 2014
BAFTA Awards 2014 — Best Documentary