Indonesian Film Week returns

Following the success of Indonesian Film Week last year, the embassy of the Republic of Indonesia will once again offer five days of Indonesian movie screenings at the FNCC Cinema from August 4 to 8. Indonesian Film Week will be launched on August 4 at 17:30 at the FNCC, followed by the first movie screening at 18:30. Traditional fabrics from Indonesia will be exhibited in the gallery during the film week. For the rest of the week, movies will be screened from 18:00 at the FNCC Cinema. On Monday evening, film lovers can enjoy ‘Soegija’, a drama directed by Garin Nugroho in 2012. The film is 120 minutes long and in Indonesian with English subtitles. Soegija is an epic history drama about human tribulations in the times of the Indonesian revolution between 1940 and 1949. It tells the story of Albertus Soegijapranata SJ, Indonesia's first indigenous bishop. As a religious leader, Soegija used his diplomatic skills to help the infant republic by getting involved in humanitarian work for the people. Tuesday’s film is ‘5 cm’, a drama, directed by Rizal Mantovani, with English subtitles. The film is an adventure drama about five best friends who go on a mountain-climbing trip to Mahameru Peak, the tallest volcano in Java: a journey for the sake of dreams, friendship and love that will forever transform their lives. The film won the 2013 Indonesian Film Festival’s award for best cinematography. On Wednesday August 6, ‘Merantau Warrior’ will be shown. It is an action film directed by Gareth Evans. The title, Merantau, refers to a centuries-old Sumatran custom where adolescent males must leave their rural villages and prove their manhood abroad before being allowed to return home. Teenage Yuda has travelled to the big city of Jakarta for his merantau but soon finds himself in trouble when he helps a young stripper escape the clutches of a human trafficker. On Thursday film lovers can watch ‘Love for Share’ (Berbagi Suami) directed by Nia Dinata in 2006. The film week will conclude with ‘Lovely Man’ directed by Teddy Soeriaatmadja. ‘Lovely Man’ is the story of Cahaya, a 19-year-old girl with strong Islamic values, who discovers that her long-lost father is a transvestite working on the streets of Jakarta. Working with well-worn material about family relationships and father-daughter bonds that is never once in danger of falling into cliché, this layered story unfolds over the course of one enlightening and bittersweet night. WINDHOEK GORDON JOSEPH