Last in New York the Puma Impact Award Winner for 2013 was announced, and we were ecstatic to see The Act of Killing take home the much coveted prize. The award celebrates and supports the documentary film that has made the most significant positive impact on society or the environment each year. The prize was awarded by a jury including Susan Sarandon, Gael García Bernal, Ricken Patel Eric Schlosser and Zadie Smith.
Joshua Oppenheimer was in New York to collect the award, and we have used Twitters new custom timelines feature to embed some tweets and pictures from the night. The Act of Killing will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray on November 25th, including the full directors cut and tons of other extras.
In the 1960’s Anwar Congo was a leader in Indonesia’s pro-regime paramilitary the Pancasila Youth who, along with his band of dedicated followers, was amongst those who participated in the murder and torture more than a million alleged Communists, ethnic Chinese and intellectuals. Proud of their deeds and completely unpunished, Anwar and his pals are delighted when the film’s director ask them to re-enact these murders for their documentary – in any genre they desire. Initially Anwar and his friends enthusiastically take up the challenge using hired actors, making elaborate sets and costumes and even using pyrotechnic, but eventually as the movie violence is played out and reconstructed, Anwar finally begins to feel unease and remorse.
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