Jakarta – Joshua Oppenheimer, who made documentary films about the massacres during the communist purge of 1965-66 in Indonesia, has been named a MacArthur Fellow.
He was among 21 individuals cited by the MacArthur Foundation "with a track record of achievement and the potential for significant contributions in the future."
Each fellow receives a no-strings-attached stipend of $625,000, paid out over five years, and the fellowship comes with no stipulations or reporting requirements, and allows recipients maximum freedom to follow their own creative visions, the MacArthur Foundation said in a statement released on its website in the United States on Tuesday.
Oppenheimer directed "The Act of Killing," which was released in 2012 and highlighted interviews with former death squad members. That was followed up this year with "The Look of Silence," which focused on the survivors. That film recently was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival.
The MacArthur Fellowship, which started in 1981, is often referred to as the "Genius Grant" with its eclectic selection. This year's class joins 897 other MacArthur Fellows.