Indonesian Death Squad Doc 'The Act of Killing' Acquired by Drafthouse

12:17 PM PDT 10/31/2012 by THR Staff

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The Danish film, which screened at Toronto and Telluride earlier this year, will receive a 30-market release and an awards season campaign.

Joshua Oppenheimer

Drafthouse films, the film distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, has acquired the U.S. rights to the Indonesian death squad documentary The Act of Killing.

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The Danish doc, directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, ventures deep into the minds of former Indonesian death squad leaders as they reenact their own real-life mass-killings in whichever cinematic genre they wish. This includes classic Hollywood crime scenes as well as over-the-top musical numbers.

The Act of Killing screened at this year’s Toronto and Telluride International Film Festivals.

Drafthouse is planning a 30-market theatrical release for the film, as well as an awards season campaign for Best Documentary Feature in 2013.

“The Act of Killing is a landmark acquisition for us. No other film at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival made a comparable residual impression,” said Drafthouse Films CEO Tim League in a statement. “It is an honor to work with Joshua Oppenheimer and his team to introduce such an important, groundbreaking film to audiences around the country.”

The Act of Killing was produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen for Denmark’s Final Cut for Real. The deal was negotiated by League, James Emanuel Shapiro and Evan Husney on behalf of Drafthouse, and by Philippa Kowarsky of Cinephil on behalf of the film’s producers.