40 Years of Silence: An Indonesian Tragedy
40 Years of Silence: An Indonesian Tragedy tells the story of one of the largest unknown mass-killings of the 20th century. In 1965-66, an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 people were secretly killed when General Suharto began a bloody purge of suspected communists throughout Indonesia. For decades, the Indonesian government repressed all memory of this event, and the world looked away.
Based on the research of prominent anthropologist Robert Lemelson and edited by two time Academy Award winner, Pietro Scalia, this film follows the compelling testimonies of four individuals and their families from Central Java and Bali, as they break their silence for the first time. Told in understated detail, the cumulative effect of their stories is heartbreaking, profound and ultimately redemptive.
Film Festivals/Screenings:
International Association for Genocide Scholars (IAGS) 2009 Annual Conference, Arlington, VA, 2009
Boston International Film Festival, Boston, MA, 2009
Warning: This video contains footage that some viewers may find disturbing.
Running Time
139 mins
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2 videos included
Kanopy ID
1049248
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40 Years of Silence
0 Years of Silence: An Indonesian Tragedy tells the story of one of the largest unknown mass-killings of the 20th century. In 1965-66, an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 people were…
40 Years of Silence - Abridged
In the highlands of North Vietnam lies the remote town of Sapa, home to a mosaic of colourful hill tribes. Sapa opened to tourism in the late 1990s, and now…
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Comments (2)
Fantastic, if gut-wrenching, documentary. An important topic (made of millions of important stories) that requires much more work.
My husband grandfather was murdered during this time. He had no idea what communism even was. He was certainly not a communist himself, just a rice farmer.