Stephen Smith to Host The Look of Silence Screening at USC Cinematic Arts

(Adi and his mother, Rohani, share a solemn moment in Drafthouse Films’ and Participant Media’s The Look of Silence. Courtesy of Drafthouse Films and Participant Media)

The Look of Silence, director Joshua Oppenheimer’s follow-up to his 2013 documentary The Act of Killing, will screen Wed., July 8 at USC, followed by a discussion with Oppenheimer moderated by USC Shoah Foundation Executive Director Stephen Smith.

The screening is part of USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Outside the Box [Office] series. The film begins at 7 p.m. in the Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108 on the USC campus, followed by the Q&A with Oppenheimer and Smith. Admission is free and open to the public, RSVP here.

Both The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence are unprecedented examinations of the 1965 Indonesian Genocide, one of the least studied or talked-about genocides in recent history. Oppenheimer and The Act of Killing were featured in the 2014 issue of PastFORWARD, the Institute’s digest.

In The Look of Silence, a family of survivors of the Indonesian Genocide discovers how their son was murdered and the identities of his killers. Adi, the youngest son, is an optometrist and decides to confront the killers while giving them eye exams and asks them to accept responsibility. This is unheard of in a society that has endured 50 years of silence about the genocide and in which the perpetrators are still in power.

The film is executive produced by award-winning filmmakers Werner Herzog, Errol Morris, and André Singer and debuted at the 2014 Venice Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize, FIPRESCI Prize, European Film Critics’ Award and the Human Rights Nights Award. Click here for more information about the film.