500,000 to 1,000,000 people were killed in Indonesia. The world looked away. 40 years later, four families break the silence.

Overview

In one of the largest unknown mass-killings of the 20th cen­tury, an esti­mated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Indone­sians were killed in 1965 when Gen­eral Suharto began a purge of sus­pected “com­mu­nists” through a com­plex and highly con­tested series of events–ultimately lead­ing him to the presidency. 40 Years of Silence: An Indone­sian Tragedy fol­lows the com­pelling tes­ti­monies of four indi­vid­u­als and their fam­i­lies, as they break the silence with an inti­mate look at what it was like for sur­vivors dur­ing Suharto’s New Order regime.

1. Robert Lemelson

   Director