THE ACT OF KILLING, the 2013 documentary about the political and criminal genocide in Indonesia of the 1960’s and the ongoing unchecked abuses of power by government “thugs,” has achieved international recognition. One of the most haunting films of the year, we discuss the filming, political and cultural factors of the genocide, impact and making of the film (featuring footage) with director Joshua Oppenheimer on this full length BYOD interview.

Joshua Oppenheimer has worked for over a decade with militias, death squads and their victims to explore the relationship between political violence and the public imagination. Educated at Harvard and Central St Martins, London, his award-winning films include THE GLOBALIZATION TAPES (2003, co-directed with Christine Cynn), THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE (1998, Gold Hugo, Chicago Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival), THESE PLACES WE’VE LEARNED TO CALL HOME (1996, Gold Spire, San Francisco Film Festival) and numerous shorts. Oppenheimer is Senior Researcher on the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Genocide and Genre project and has published widely on these themes.