It took years for Anggun to sing “Ayah” (Father, ed) by Rinto Harahap with her father, Ebak Nasril. Directing To Face My Father in Jambi (Balek ke Jambi) (2023), Anggun frames her father’s acceptance sentimentally and candidly—a reflection of the hopes shared by other transwomen.
The story unfolds on the day Anggun and her friends step back into the house full of jokes and cigarette smoke, surrounded by her relatives. Rich in context, the Jambi language flows through the conversations. That night, Anggun was like a star—her courage in leaving Jakarta to say hello to her father paid off, a job well done!
Her father’s acceptance is concrete. Not only does he move beyond silence and resignation, in 2016, he drove Anggun to and fro for the sake of his daughter’s desire to change her name and reintroduce herself to the world. The 25-minute duration of this film intimately summarizes the meeting of a father-daughter pair after a long wait. As the title suggests, Jambi is the place where Anggun returns home, embracing what she had left behind during eight years of escapism.
“We are loyal to our children,” said Nasril, and perhaps it was this longing that drove him to love Anggun as his whole daughter. Competing in the Short Competition program FFD 2024, let’s fall in love together with the compassion and warmth of Anggun Pradesha’s family. (Athallah, Tuffahati) (Ed. Vanis) (Trans. Naufal Shabri)
Film Details
To Face My Father in Jambi (Balek ke Jambi)
Anggun Pradesha | 25 Min | 2023 | Jambi, Indonesia
In Competition for Short Competition
Festival Film Dokumenter 2024
Screening Schedule
Nov. 3 | 13:00 WIB | IFI-LIP
Nov. 5 | 13:00 WIB | Militaire Societeit, TBY
