May 24 (Wednesday), 2006
Film Screening: 3 Indonesian documentaries
Place: Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library, Main Branch, 120 Metcalfe Street
Admission: Free
Presented by: the Indonesian Canadian Congress
“Ubat Até Allah Allah, Ubat Sösah Pëyasan Beuna (Prayers For Allah Are The Medicine For The Troubled Heart, Comforting Songs Are The Medicine For Grieving Souls)”. This 15 minute 2005 film by Alex Sihar, in Bahasa Indonesia/Acehnese with English subtitles, documents the power of traditional music as a form of spiritual therapy for traumatized children in Aceh. It focuses on the journey of a wildly popular Acehnese musician, Rafly, and his group KanDe. The musicians visit every camp for Internally Displaced Persons along Aceh’s tsunami-stricken coast, and attempt to lift the spirits of Acehnese children. As Rafly sings, he raises the children’s hope for a better future. “Atjeh Lon Sayang (My Beloved Atjeh)”. This 25 minute 2005 film by Syaiful Halim, in Bahasa Indonesia/Acehnese with English subtitles, is about the tsunami of late 2004, which killed roughly 170,000 residents in Aceh, and turned thousands of children into orphans. This film tells a few stories from the disaster; about the life of a victim, about activities in Islamic traditional education center, and about a few local artists offering “ubat-ate” (comforting songs and prayers) to the children. In this touching documentary, an Acehnese child shares his vision of his homeland. “Kara Anak Sebatang Pohon (Kara The Daughter Of A Tree)”. This seven minute 2005 film by Edwin, the most prolific short filmmaker in Indonesia. Kara is Edwin's eighth film, set on the slopes of the mystical Mount Semeru of East Java, is about the struggle against capitalism and criticizes the growth of the media. “I saw an exploitation phenomenon in my country, especially from the media when the tsunami struck Indonesia. This film was selected for Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in 2005.
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