Dogwoof are very excited that The Look of Silence took home the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary in Los Angeles on Saturday night. This marked the first win for director Joshua Oppenheimer who was also nominated for his The Act of Killing at the 2013 Awards.
Following the win the team got played off stage but director Joshua Oppenheimer later posted his intended speech online:
““The Indonesian genocide began 50 years ago today, but in a terrible, important way it hasn’t ended, because the perpetrators are still in power, and millions of survivors still live in fear. Nevertheless, I’m deeply honored that our films, the act of killing in the look of silence, have led to a movement for truth, justice, and reconciliation in Indonesia where once there was silence – or even noisy celebration.
”Yet the silence in the title also refers to our silence. Because the Indonesian genocide is not just Indonesian history, but American history. The US provided weapons, money, and training to the death squads, and lists of thousands of names of public figures whom United States wanted killed. We in the us must do the same work as Indonesians. We must declassify the documents that reveal our role in these crimes, and take responsibility.
”We are so honored by the support of the independent film community, because your recognition of our work helps us use the film to make real change. Right after the Oscars, we will be traveling with indonesia’s national human rights commission to Washington, D.C., to meet with White House staff, urging our government to declassify the documents and acknowledge its role in these crimes. Film, particularly independent film, can hold up a mirror of truth, but only with your help. For that help, we are so grateful.””