“A performance that is synonymous with sight, is instead performed by people who cannot see. What they do becomes something very memorable.” That was the impression conveyed by Moses, one of the audience members, after watching The Unseen Words (Wahyu Utami Wati, 2017). This film was one of the films featured in the Lanskap program, the Ordinary/Extraordinary sub-program alongside If… (Diva Suki Larasati, 2019), Diaspora (Ivonne Kani, 2015), The Crowded Bridge (David Darmadi, 2016), and Children of Rapa’i Plok (Nursalliya Ansari B., 2017). These five films were screened in the first screening slot at IFI-LIP Yogyakarta on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.
Mundane and underlying narratives are often invisible and distant. These spaces are tried to be looked at more closely to observe and convey a variety of issues that are often unheard. The five films are an attempt to cut the distance to social and personal issues that are rarely noticed, even though they are all around us.
The Unseen Words (Wahyu Utami Wati, 2017) tells the story of the passion of the blind members of Distra Budaya who continue to practice ketoprak amidst the quiet gig. Their enthusiasm did not fade even though they had little stage space. As a result, this enthusiasm resulted in the idea to convert their ketoprak performances to a digital platform (Youtube) to reach more audiences. Diva, through If… (Diva Suki Larasati, 2019) tells the story of her efforts to recognize her father, Munir, who has been absent until now. She also expresses the lost time in her efforts through various signs. In Diaspora (Ivonne Kani, 2015), Ivonne personally narrates her struggle in a foreign country to avoid riots that threaten her ethnicity in the landscape of state political conflict.
A clear but often invisible social narrative is also told by David Darmadi through the film The Crowded Bridge (David Darmadi, 2016). David tries to take a closer look at the activities of sand miners under the Gunung Nago Bridge, Lambung Bukik Village, Pauh District, Padang City, West Sumatra. Through this film, the audience is invited to feel the atmosphere of sand mining activities and contemplate the social phenomenon–which is close but liminal–that takes place every day. The last film screened, Children of Rapa’i Plok (Nursalliya Ansari B., 2017), addresses the contradictory issue of preserving rapa’i, an Acehnese hit instrument. On one hand, children should not just touch the rapa’i because of its high value. However, on the other hand, the music must be preserved for future generations.
Following the screening session, a Q&A session was held with the filmmakers. Those who attended this session were Wahyu Utami (Director of The Unseen Words), Ivonne Kani (Director of Diaspora), and Nursalliya Ansari B. (Director of Children of Rapa’i Plok). In this session, Moses Parlindungan Ompusunggu, who attended the screening, shared his impressions of each movie. In addition, he also asked Wahyu about the reason for not presenting a ketoprak performance at the end of the movie. Responding to the question, Wahyu explained that the reason for not showing the ketoprak performance in the movie was so that interested viewers could watch it directly on Distra Budaya’s Youtube channel. This is also an attempt to increase the channel’s audience and subscribers.
The filmic language of personal narratives that carry the issue of marginalized communities very strongly is an interesting offer from the films shown. Instead of being pretentious and exploitative, the films present an honest narrative. Therefore, Manshur Zikri, from Jurnal Footage, asked about the continuation of each filmmaker presenting new projects. Responding to the question, Wahyu enthusiastically answered that in January she would make another documentary. Wahyu continued that she must have responsibility and maintain a relationship with the subject in every documentary. Meanwhile, Ivonne and Nursalliya said that they are planning to make a documentary. Compactly, they alternately said, “On the way!” Nursalliya hopes that next year she can work on her documentary project.
In the end, unheard and personal voices can be channeled through the five films screened in Festival Film Dokumenter 2023’s Lanskap program. In this case, in addition to visual cinema, documentary has succeeded in becoming a mouthpiece for voices that are often unheard by outsiders. As a result, documentary films become a comprehensive and critical medium to be understood. Through documentary films, all narratives and discourses can be heard, seen, present, and represented.
Covered by Ahmad Radhitya Alam on December 6, 2023.
