Drafthouse and Participant Acquire Joshua Oppenheimer’s ‘Act of Killing’ Sequel ‘The Look of Silence’

Drafthouse Films and Participant Media have announced the acquisition of Joshua Oppenheimer‘s documentary “The Look of Silence.”

Oppenheimer’s film will make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, which began today, and will screen at TIFF and NYFF. 

“The Look of Silence” revisits the environment and themes of Oppenheimer’s Oscar-nominated film “the Act of Killing,” which focused on the Indonesian genocide of the 1960s. This time, however, the story revolves around the families of the victims rather than the killers.

READ MORE: ‘Act of Killing’ Director Joshua Oppenheimer on How The Oscars Gave The Film ‘A Second Life’

The film’s synopsis reads: “A family of survivors discovers how their son was murdered – and the identity of the men who killed him. The perpetrators live just down the road, and have been in power ever since the massacres. The family’s youngest son, an optometrist, seeks to bring the past into focus, asking how he can raise his children in a society where survivors are terrorized into silence, and everybody is intimidated into celebrating the murderers as heroes. In search of answers, he decides to confront each of his brother’s killers. The killers still hold power, so each encounter is dangerous. The former executioners respond with fear, anger, and naked threats but he manages these encounters with dignity; asking unflinching questions about how the killers see what they did, how they live side-by-side with their victims, and how they think their victims see them. Through these confrontations, audiences get a sense of what it is like to live for decades encircled by powerful neighbors who are also murderers of their children.”

“When I watched ‘The Act of Killing,’ I thought I might not ever see another documentary quite as powerful,” said Alamo Drafthouse and Drafthouse Films founder Tim League. “Joshua Oppenheimer’s stunning new film, ‘The Look of Silence,’ is resounding proof that I was wrong.”

“The Look of Silence” will be released theatrically in the U.S. in the summer of 2015. Until then, here’s a clip that was released ahead of its Venice premiere tomorrow.