1) Di Mana Saya (Where Was I?)

Anggun Priambodo / 2008 / 11min / Indonesia / RATINGS TBA

Synopsis:
Where were you ten years ago when a big turning point took place in Indonesia on May 1998? The film takes us back to that period of time through a series of stories told by old photographs taken 10 years ago of various subjects.

Director’s Bio:
Anggun Priambodo is known as a director who had worked on a number of short films, commercials and music clips. He is also a visual artist whose range of works includes paintings, art videos, and graphics. Anggun also teaches. In 2003, Anggun with the Jadugar received Best Director at the Indonesia MTV Music Awards. Anggun currently resides in Jakarta.

2) Sugiharti Halim

Ariani Darmawan / 2008 / 10min / Indonesia / RATINGS TBA

Synopsis:
What’s in a name? For Sugiharti Halim, though, a name can lead to a stream of never-ending questions. At times, funny annoying, and contradictory; Does one really need a ‘real’ name? Can you sell your name? Is it true that you can hide your identity behind a name? Sugiharti Halim offers a perspective that is comical, provocative, contextual, and deserving to be re-examined today.

*) Presidential Decree no. 127/U/Kep/12/1966 obliged Ethnic-Chinese to adopt an Indonesian-sounding name (e.g. change Liem to Halim, Lo/Loe/Liok to Lukito, etc)

Director’s Bio:
Ariani Darmawan is a video artist/filmmaker who lives and works in Bandung, Indonesia. She studied Fine Arts at the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago after finishing her bachelor degree in Architecture at the Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung. The architecture’s programmatic versus fine art’s impressionistic methods of thinking had brought her to a world of writing and moving images. Most of her works comment on power/identity and language along with its construction of meaning, where she constantly erases and redraws the lines of actuality. Darmawan has participated in numerous festivals and art exhibitions in Europe, North America, Australia and Asia with works ranging from short films, documentaries to video installations and theatrical works.

3) Trip to the Wound

Edwin / 2008 / 7min / Indonesia / M18

Synopsis:
One night, Shilla meets Carlo on a bus. Shilla is a collector; she collects stories behind wounds. It’s a trip Carlo will never forget.

Director's Bio:
Edwin’s “Kara, Anak Sebatang Pohon” (2005) became the first Indonesian short film screened at the Director’s Fortnight, Cannes International Film Festival 2005. In 2008, Edwin was invited by the “Meet The Maestro” project organized by the International Film Festival Rotterdam, in which he screened “Hulahoop Soundings”, a short film commissioned by the film festival. His debut feature, “Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly” is still touring the film festival circuits.

4) Bertemu Jen (Meet Jen)

Hafiz / 2008 / 17min / Indonesia / RATINGS TBA

Synopsis:
“Life has given me time. However, I’ve never spent that time to really live.” Jen is an ordinary guy with big dreams and hopes. But, time has passed by him. A lot has happened. What has Jen been doing for the past ten years? The political changes have not changed Jen’s life that much. What happened then for him was just a vivid dream. That memory has turned into a ‘film’ about an occasion that he had witnessed.

Director’s Bio:
Hafiz is a prominent artist/videomaker and curator who is also one of the founders of ruangrupa and later Forum Lenteng Jakarta. He graduated from Jakarta Institute of Arts majoring in fine arts.

5) Huan Chen Guang (Happiness)

Ifa Isfansyah / 2008 / 15min / Indonesia / RATINGS TBA

Synopsis:
Chen Guang is a 21yr old Chinese woman, who lives in Beijing. Her Indonesian mother died during the May 1998 riot in Jakarta. She then heads for Korea to erase the terrible memories haunting her, and replace them with good ones. On her first day in Korea, Chen Guang meets Huan, also a Chinese women of the same age, who has resided in Korea for quite a while. Their journey begins. After spending the whole day together, Chen Guang and Huan spend a night in a small motel; passing the night in one of its rooms. Nothing happens between them, almost. The next morning, Chen Guang decides to return to Beijing because she has found what she’s looking for: happiness.

Director’s Bio:
Ifa Isfansyah graduated from the Indonesian Institute of Arts, Yogyakarta and in 2007, along with some friends, initiated a film community named Fourcolours Films and began to produce short films. Ifa is also a scholarship recipient from Im Kwon Taek College of Film and Perdorming Arts, Korea. At present, Ifa resides in Pusan, South Korea. Ifa is currently preparing his first feature “Someonday when the Rain Falls”.

6) A Letter of Unprotected Memories

Lucky Kuswandi / 2008 / 10min / Indonesia / RATINGS TBA

Synopsis:
The film takes us on a personal journey that the director underwent when Imlek, the Chinese New Year, was declared a national holiday. The celebrations always take him back to his childhood when such festivities were then forbidden. Through his eyes, we see the unique colors with which the people celebrate Imlek, past and present, and the big question he always asks during each Imlek.

*) For 33 years, celebrating Imlek (Chinese New Year) had been forbidden in Indonesia, based on the Presidential Instruction no. 14/1967, which was later annulled by Presidential Decree no. 6/2000 issued by President Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), and enforced by Presidential Decree no. 19/2002 issued by President Megawati, which officially declared Imlek a national holiday.

Director’s Bio:
Lucky Kuswandi received his BFA from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. His short films have been screened in more than 30 film festivals worldwide such as 59th Cannes Film Festival (Short Film Corner), 32nd Seattle International Film Festival, and many others. In 2006, he was also invited to participate in the Berlinale Talent Campus, a part of the Berlin International Film Festival. Lucky Kuswandi is currently preparing his features: Nona Indonesia (a recipient of the Hubert Bals Fund/winner best film project – JiFFest Script Development Competition) and in the Absence of the Sun (Winner of Winner Produire au Sud, Bangkok – Best Film Project).

7) Kemarin (Yesterday)

Otty Widasari / 2008 / 13min / Indonesia / RATINGS TBA

Synopsis:
Writer, director Otty Widasari examines various stages in a life capturing birth, youth, marriage, death, growth and the idea of ‘to eat and to find what to eat’ as a natural cycle. Her film “Kemarin” (Yesterday) sees a period of one decade as some sort of an autobiography of a one’s life.

Director’s Bio:
Otty Widasari almost finished her studies at the Social and Political Institute (Jakarta) majoring in journalism. Between 1998-1999, Otty worked as a reporter for a daily newspaper and a weekly publication. Later, between 2000-2002, she worked at a private television station as an art director. Otty is now a mother of a young son and a documentary filmmaker. She founded Forum Lenteng.

8) Yang Belum Usai (The Endless Path)

Ucu Agustin / 2008 / 9min / Indonesia / RATINGS TBA

Synopsis:
Ten years has passed since Wawan was shot dead in Semanggi during the May riot. Since then, his mother, Mrs. Sumarshi, vowed to continue Wawan’s fight for justice. Is she ever going to stop?

Director’s Bio:
Writer/Videomaker Ucu Agustin is a graduate from IAIN. Ucu runs an audio visual community “Gambar Bergerak” together with Veronica Kusuma. Her works reflect her interest in social issues. Ucu also writes short stories.

9) Sekolah Kami, Hidup Kami (Our Schools, Our Lives)

Steve Pillar Setiabudi / 2008 / 12min / Indonesia / RATINGS TBA

Synopsis:
Documentary filmmaker Steve Pillar Setiabudi (Pilar) initially wanted to get some insight on democracy and political awareness from his young subjects, a group of third year high school students in Solo, who are about to graduate soon and enter another phase of their lives as college students and would become eligible to give their votes on the upcoming election in 2009.

Much to Pilar’s surprise his subjects were playing a key role in revealing corruption that had been taking place in their school. The young students had been successful in conducting a very systematic investigation that led them to some valid findings.

Director’s Bio:
Pillar has a degree in Graphic Design from an academy in Yogyakarta from which he graduated in 1997. He then became actively involved in a number of documentary productions. His short documentary “His Story” (2006) reveals a part of an ongoing saga surrounding the investigations of the death of Munir, an Indonesian human rights activist.

10) Kucing 9808, Catatan Seorang (Mantan) Demonstran (Chronicles of a (Former) Demonstrator)

Wisnu Suryapratama / 2008 / 11min / Indonesia / RATINGS TBA

Synopsis:
April 1998 – Wisnu ‘Kucing’ (the cat) Suryapratama is one of the activists of KA KBUI (United Movement of the University of Indonesia). He was the program coordinator of the KA KBUI post, who arranged almost all of the KBUI demonstration acts from start to finish.

Director’s Bio:
Wisnu was a student activist during the May reformation 1998. He is a graduate from University Indonesia and has a degree in Dutch Literature. Wisnu is also one of the founders of KONFIDEN. He is now a director who works on short films, commercials and sometimes still works as a production assistant and assistant director.