I have a history with West Papua (here referring to the Indonesian part of the island of New Guinea, which comprises five provinces, one named “West Papua”) from my days fronting the legendary West Papuan band Black Brothers in the early 1990s.

During that time, I was exposed to stories of struggle and pride in the identity of the people of West Papua. From their declaration of self-determination and self-government and the raising of the Morning Star flag on 1 December 1961, to the so-called “Act of Free Choice” referendum in 1969 which saw the fledgling Melanesian state become part of the larger Indonesian state, to the next 40 years of struggle.

However, apart from the occasional ABC or SBS news story and the 1963 ethnographic film Dead Birds, I hadn’t seen much footage on West Papua until now.

The West Papua Mini Film Festival is a touring festival of short films organised by the West Papuan community and their allies and supporters in Australia to raise awareness of the situation in West Papua.

The four films I saw, at the first screening in Sydney, were:

My Name is Pengungsi (Refugee)
Pepera 1969, A Democratic Integration?
Papuan Hip-Hop: When the Microphone Talks
Black Pearl and General of the Field

The first two films were quite harrowing portrayals of internal displacement and coercion in West Papua. My Name is Pengungsi (Refugee) follows the lives and families of two children, both named “refugee”, born and currently being raised in parts of West Papua distant from their families’ places of origin.

Their displacement is clearly correlated with the increased presence of extractive corporate interests backed in and supported by a military presence.

In both children’s cases this has been enabled by the gradual breaking up of the region of West Papua into first two, and now five, separate provinces.

A scene from My Name is Pengungsi (Refugee)

My Name is Pengungsi (Refugee).   Video trailer: Jubi TV

The second film, Pepera 1969, A Democratic Integration, deals with the history of oppression and coercion under Indonesian rule and the absurdity of the rubber-stamping process undertaken by Indonesia (the Act of Free Choice, the Indonesian acronym for which is Pepera) which enabled it to annex West Papua under the impotent gaze of the United Nations and the complicit support of countries including the US and Australia.

The film documents the process leading into decolonisation and West Papua’s short-lived period of self-rule.

The second two films were insightful celebrations of Papuan identity in the arts, through hip-hop artists like Ukam Maran and the earlier musical group Mambesak, and in sport, with the incredible story of the Persipura football club of Jayapura.

The latter’s achievements as a football team and subsequent discrimination and suppression in the racially charged Indonesian football league provide an allegory of West Papuan identity.

In both cases, the strength and resilience of West Papuan identity, and West Papuans’ pride in their ancient ties to land and culture, are palpable.

A scene from Papua Hip-Hop: When the microphone talks.

What I liked about the four films was that they presented a montage of West Papua from rural to urban, from the everyday life of internally displaced people to the exciting work of hip-hop artists with their songs of protest; from the big picture and history of West Papua to the smaller microcosm of the Persipura football team and supporters.

All in all, I was surprised how much I came out of the festival better informed about a place, its history and current developments. And this despite having the privilege of knowing more about West Papua than many Australians.

For those who don’t know much about West Papua and would like to know more, attending the West Papua Mini Film Festival is a must. It is on at various locations around Australia until 21 April 2024, with details here.

And to end on a happy note, my evening of film appreciation included meeting one of the festival’s organisers, Victor Mambor. Victor is the nephew of the late Steve Mambor, drummer for the Black Brothers!

• West Papua Mini Film Festival 2024, 9-21 April 2024, Wollongong, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane, Lismore, Hobart, Melbourne, and Darwin.
• The films are also available to view with English and Indonesian subtitles on the Jubi TV Youtube channel.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) congratulates New Zealand film director Jane Campion over her request for her 1989 debut film Sweetie to be withdrawn from apartheid Israel’s Jerusalem Film Festival.

The announcement was made by Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) late last night.

We are delighted to have an esteemed New Zealand director join at least four other international film directors — from the Basque region in Spain, United Kingdom and the United States — in requesting their films be withdrawn from the festival which is partnered with the Israeli Ministry of Culture.

This is a moment of pride for Aotearoa New Zealand — similar to the pride felt when New Zealand entertainer Lorde cancelled a scheduled concert in Israel in 2018.

At a time when Palestinians are suffering immeasurably under the most fanatical, openly racist Israeli government ever, this solidarity action will be deeply appreciated by Palestinians everywhere.

These film directors are taking action where governments — New Zealand included — have failed morally and politically, again and again and again to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people.

This is similar to the fight against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s when it was civil society organisations around the world, and in New Zealand, which led the anti-apartheid struggle outside South Africa while Western governments either colluded with the regime or looked the other way.

John Minto is national chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa.

The Sweetie trailer.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Jayapura will once again host the sixth edition of the Papua Film Festival (FFP VI), scheduled to take place next month from August 7-9, 2023.

The festival’s central theme, “Dari Kampung Kitong Cerita” (From Our Village, We Tell Our Stories), was determined by the Papuan Voices committee.

During a press conference at the Papuan Voices secretariat in Waena, Jayapura City, festival chair Iren Fatagur revealed that the event would focus on various smaller themes, including food, social change, history and identity, local wisdom, women and children, and the negative impact of land grabbing.

The festival will encompass two main components: film screenings and workshops. The workshops will explore different approaches used by filmmakers, particularly in the form of documentary films.

Participants will gain insights into the documentary cycle, covering aspects such as expedition design and film duration.

Harun Rumbarar, head of Papuan Voices, explained that the initial plan was to hold the sixth Papua Film Festival in Wamena following the Papuan Voices 2022 Congress in Biak.

However, due to circumstances and prevailing conditions in Wamena, the decision was made to relocate the festival back to Jayapura.

Shedding light on issues
This year’s festival aims to shed light on simpler yet significant issues, focusing on cultural situations and social matters, highlighting stories from various villages.

Unlike previous editions, FFP VI will not feature a competition but will instead showcase a selection of documentary films produced by Papuan Voices. The films will be screened and followed by discussions to gather responses and insights from the audience, assessing each film’s potential and strengths.

“This year it’s more about telling the content and essence of the stories directly. Papuan Voices seeks to engage and empower local filmmakers, fostering storytelling capacities within the community,” Rumambar said.

FFP VI expects to attract many attendees, offering a platform for cultural exchange, celebration, and capacity building among film enthusiasts and creators alike.

Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Host Zoe Larsen Cumming had much to discuss on a new documentary, the exquisitely made Loimata – The Sweetest Tears, which was launched last Saturday to a full house at the ASB Waterfront Theatre as part of the international Whanau Marama film festival.

She asked Pacific Media Watch contributing editor Sri Krishnamurthi what made the documentary so special on today’s Pacific Media Centre – Southern Cross segment of Radio 95bFM’s The Wire.

The documentary is about a female master waka builder, navigator and sailor Lilo Ema Siope who was born in Taihape and spent her troubled growing-up years in South Auckland.

LISTEN: Southern Cross on the Pacific Media Centre’s Soundcloud

Abused she was, but she found her true calling on and in the waka.

It remains important to tell these stories of our Kiwi-born Pacific families who find a way to connect with their cultures and to bring richness in diversity to the New Zealand way of life.

What makes this documentary special are the bonds that develop between the Palagi film-making family of Anna and Jim Marbrook, a Pacific media Centre associate, and the Siope aiga who took the Marbrooks into their heart.

Also discussed on the radio programme was climate change and the dangers of relying on sustainable ecotourism,  and the dramatic rise in covid-19 cases in Papua New Guinea where cases have jumped by a record 23 to 62.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By Joko Santoso in Purbalingga

A short film by a student whose family were victims of the 1965 anti-communist purge in Indonesia has won best fictional film at the 2018 Purbalingga Film Festival.

The film titled Against the Current (Melawan Arus) was directed by Eka Saputri and produced by the Kebumen 1 State Vocational School.

Facilitated by the Ministry of Education and Culture’s (Kemdikbud) Cinematography Development Centre (Pusbangfilm), the film tells the story of a man and wife defending their rights to their land despite being branded “decadents” of the banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Yono, the husband, has lost his spirit to defend the land which is being disputed with the authorities. He suggests to his wife Siti that they move.

Siti however who is strong in her convictions remains living in the house squatting on the land. The 10-minute film researches a land conflict in Urut Sewu, Kebumen.

According to one member of the fictional film jury, Teguh Trianton, Against the Current succeeds getting views to explore the psychological aspects of the issue.

“The film leaves viewers contemplating deeply and leaves behind questions the answers to which can be found outside of the film,” sauidTrianton.

“We hope that our film can inspire views through the courage of community farmers in Urut Sewu in defending their right to land,” said director Eka Saputri.

Best documentary
The best documentary category was won by Sum by director Firman Fajar Wiguna and produced by the Purbalingga 2 State Vocational School.

The 15-minute film tells the story of a woman named Suminah, a former Indonesian Peasants Union (BTI, affiliated with the PKI) activist.

After being jailed for 13 years, Sum lives in solitude. She continues to wait for things to take a turn for the better.

According to the documentary jury board’s notes, the film Sum was put together through selected esthetic pictures and a sequence of clear informational narratives.

“As an endeavor at visual communication, this film enriches the national historical language through a grass-roots perspective and the victims who were impacted upon by the excesses of political struggles at the national level,” explained one of the jury members, Adrian Jonathan Pasaribu.

The favorite fictional film category was won by the film Banner (Umbul-Umbul) directed by Atik Alvianti and produced by the Purwareja Banjarnegara Group Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI) 2 Vocational School.

Viewers’ favourite
In the favorite documentary film category meanwhile, viewers sided with Unseen Legacy (Warisan Tak Kasat Mata), directed by Sekar Fazhari from the Bukateja Purbalingga State senior high school.

The Lintang Kemukus award for Banyumas Raya maestro of the arts and culture was awarded to R. Soetedja (1909-1960), a composer from Banyumas, and the Kamuajo Musical Group was awarded the Lintang Kemukus category of contemporary arts and culture.

Purbalingga regent Dyah Hayuning Pratiwi, SE, B. Econ who attended the highpoints of the FFP event, said that the Purbalingga regency government was committed to supporting cinematographic activities and the film festival in Purbalingga.

“Aside from being an arena for friendly gatherings, cinematographic activities are also an arena to improve respective regency’s reputations and prestige,” he said.

Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was Film Tragedi 65 Raih Penghargaan di FFP 2018.

The making of Melawan Arus – dialogue in Bahasa Indonesian.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The film made its debut at the New Zealand International Film Festival in 2015. Video: JourneymanVOD

By TJ Aumua in Auckland 

Filmmakers of the New Zealand documentary Price of Peace were honoured this week with the producers receiving an award for their contribution to “peace and aroha”.

Director Kim Webby with co-producers Christina Milligan and Roger Grant were recipients of the Te Pou Tatau Pounamu NZ Peace Foundation Award at the Ngā Aho Whakaari (Māori in Screen Production) 20th Anniversary.

Milligan told the Pacific Media Centre that they were honoured to be recognised by their peers and the film community.

She added the film has achieved more success than they had hoped for, reaching mainstream and indigenous audiences around the world.

Tūhoe activist

The film provides exclusive access to the word of Tūhoe activist Wairere Tame Iti and the trial of the Urewera Four’ in which Iti and three others were accused of plotting terrorist activities in 2007.

International screenings

International screenings of the film continue this week, with the documentary being featured in the Margaret Mead Film Festival at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

It was recently aired on Al Jazeera as a Witness documentary under the title An Innocent Warrior. 

In January 2017, it will be filmed at the Skábmagovat -Indigenous Peoples’ Film Festival in Finland.

·       A list of all the recipients at the Ngā Aho Whakaari award ceremony

·       New documentary gives fresh side to Tame Iti story

The cast of Vanuatu film, Tanna, travelled to Hollywood this month to attend the movies official release in Los Angeles as well as New York City.

EyeWitness news interviewed the cast members when they visited ABC7 broadcasting studio in LA.

Cast member Lingai Kowia told the EyeWitness reporter that he is glad “my world has been shown to you in the film, so you can learn what is good from my world.”

Global success

As the first movie to ever be filmed in Vanuatu, Tanna, has continued to receive global success.

It has been picked by Screen Australia as its official entry for best foreign language film at the 2017 Oscars and was voted best direction and best feature film at the Australian Directors Guild Awards.

In August the film was dubbed a “hit” when it was screened at the Venice Film Festival where it was also voted best film and best cinematographer.

The movie will be released in Canada in October at the Vancouver International Film Festival and Edmonton International Film Festival.

The plot follows a young girl, Wawa, who falls in love with the chief’s grandson but is unknowingly betrothed to another as part of a peace deal between two tribes.

It based on a true story in 1984 that led to custom changes on arranged marriage.