Show Me Shorts, Aotearoa’s international short film festival, has revealed that its country of focus this year is Indonesia.
The thirteen short films that will be featured have been curated in collaboration with Minikino Film Week and will be released in more than 35 cinemas and community venues across the country from the 6th to the 30th of October, 2023.
The films screened in two collections; Indonesian Focus 1 contains seven colourful, cinematic stories with poetry that reflect current social discourses and issues, while Indonesian Focus 2 presents six lower-budget stories with a creative spirit, style and humour.
A programmer from Minikino Film Week, Bali International Short Film Festival, Fransiska Prihadi, will attend the festival as a member of the awards jury and speak at the Festival Programmer Panel as part of Show Me Shorts’ Industry Day on the 8th of October.
Filmmaker Muhammad Heri Fadli will attend with his short drama Jamal, which premieres at Auckland Opening Night on the 6th of October. Director Amelia Hapsari will present her documentary Acung Memilih Bersuara about the persecution of an Indonesian political prisoner of Chinese descent. Hapsari will also speak about her work at the Filmmaker Talk in Auckland on the 8th of October.
“Indonesia’s cinema reflects Indonesia itself; a rich melting pot of cultures, languages, and world views. I observe their cinema to contain a frenetic energy that makes for enjoyable cinema experiences. Their filmmakers utilise innovation on a shoestring budget that allows them to craft stories that might seem too ambitious on the page,” said Show Me Shorts Festival Director Gina Dellabarca.
“The films on show include a gorgeous animation about a beautiful ghost, dancing piles of marine trash, a film about a terrifying giant chicken, and a short film that competed for the Short Palme d’Or at Cannes. Kiwis will find the stories these fabulous filmmakers tell inspiring and thought-provoking.”
The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to New Zealand, H.E. Fientje Suebu, finds this a unique opportunity for short film enthusiasts. It will further boost people-to-people connection as the two countries celebrate 65 years of diplomatic relations this year.
Below are the short films that will be screened in two collections:
INDONESIAN FOCUS 1
Jamal – Dir/Writ: Muhammad Heri Fadli
Blue Poetry – Dir/Writ: Muhammad Heri Fadli
Acung Memilih Bersuara (Acung Decides to Speak Up) – Dir: Amelia Hapsari
Ride to Nowhere – Dir/Writ: Khozy Rizal
Dancing Colours – Dir/Writ:
Nusa Antara (The Archipelago) – Dir: Azalia Muchransyah
Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy – Dir: Khozy Rizal
INDONESIAN FOCUS 2: INNOVATION
Kid Terminator – Dir: Rayhan Dharmawan
Chicken Awaken – Dir/Writ: Beny Kristia
Attack on Cholesterol – Dir/Writ: Gusti Ngurah Kade Anjas Artha Putra
I Saw a Ghost, and It Was Beautiful – Dir/Writ: Bobby Fernando
The Lemony Snippets of A Loopy Reverie – Dir/Writ: Azalia Muchransyah
Senandung Senyap (A Sonorous Melody) – Dir/Writ: Riani Singgih
Tickets for the Indonesian Focus 1 are on sale now from the Show Me Shorts website.
