I would never have made The Act of Killing without the work of Werner Herzog. He's arguably the most important influence on me, personally and as a filmmaker, even though I don't feel like I make films like him. I made The Act of Killing because he makes films like Aguirre and Stroszek, in the sense that he tries to bring dreams and poetry into reality.
I would never have made The Act of Killing without the work of Werner Herzog. He tries to bring dreams and poetry into reality.
— Joshua Oppenheimer · MUBI Notebook, "Interview: Joshua Oppenheimer on 'The Act of Killing' and its Sequel"