40 Years of Silence

Director: Robert Lemelson
Length: 53’ & 83’
Year of Production: 2010
Country:United States

“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 a prominent anthropologist and edited by a two time Academy Award winner, 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.