Joshua Oppenheimer's Oscar-shortlisted The Act of Killing, a documentary revisiting squad leaders from the Indonesian genocides of the 60's, was released on iTunes today. In a partnership between Drafthouse Films and BitTorrent, heaps of exclusive and free bonus content can be downloaded through their new BitTorrent Bundle. Read on to find out what's inside the Bundle and how you can download it.
As digital distribution evolves, more emphasis is being put on bonus content to help drive people to buy a film. With BitTorrent bundles, the major advantage is a chance to get your material in front of their 170 million+ user base. In this Bundle, Drafthouse Films are offering 1.2 gigabytes of free companion content. Here's a quick run-down of what's inside:
- VICE Presents: Werner Herzog and Errol Morris on The Act of Killing [12 min Video]
- Democracy Now! Joshua Oppenheimer Interview [45 minute Video]
- Essay: Errol Morris on The Act of Killing [PDF]
- Essay: Indonesia on the impact of The Act of Killing, TEMPO Magazine [PDF]
- The Act of Killing Stills [Photographs]
- The Act of Killing Trailer [Video]
BitTorrent Bundles can be downloaded through any torrent client.
Here's a trailer for the film:
And here's three powerhouse quotes to give you an idea of the impact of the film:
From the film's anonymous Indonesian Co-director:
Collective blindness is price paid by the country: the true legacy of dictatorship is the erasure of our ability to imagine anything other. In partnering with Drafthouse to share this Bundle with 170 million people around the world, our goal is to ensure that we remember. To guarantee Indonesia's, and our own, ability to imagine anything other.
Executive Producer Errol Morris adds:
An extraordinary portrayal of genocide. To the inevitable question: what were they thinking, Joshua Oppenheimer provides an answer. It starts as a dreamscape, an attempt to allow the perpetrators to reenact what they did, and then something truly amazing happens. The dream dissolves into nightmare and then into bitter reality. An amazing and impressive film.
The National Human Rights Commission of Indonesia explains the film's importance:
If we are to transform Indonesia into the democracy it claims to be, citizens must recognize the terror and repression on which our contemporary history has been built. No film, or any other work of art for that matter, has done this more effectively thanThe Act of Killing. It is essential viewing for us all.
Does this kind of extra content help draw you in? Are you likely to explore the Act of Killing bundle or purchase the film on iTunes? Let us know in the comments below.
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