Indonesian filmmaker Garin Nugroho
Acclaimed Indonesian filmmaker Garin Nugroho’s works will be screened under the Contemporary Filmmaker in Focus section at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), to be held in the capital from December 12 to 19. Mr. Nugroho is regarded as one of the most influential voices in contemporary world cinema, particularly in Southeast Asia, with his films featured in almost all the major international festivals.
His films to be screened at the IFFK are Bird Man Tale, A Poet: Unconcealed Poetry, Samsara, Whispers in the Dabdas and Letter to an Angel.
Bird Man Tale, set against the socio-political backdrop of Indonesian province Papua’s vocal demand for independence, follows the story of 15-year-old Arnold, who pursues a girl he wishes to kiss.
On political prisoners
The narrative of A Poet: Unconcealed Poetry unfolds entirely within two prison cells and is shot completely in black and white. The film exposes the harsh reality faced by Indonesia’s political prisoners through the experiences of poet Ibrahim Kadir, imprisoned for alleged Communist sympathies. The film won the FIPRESCI Award at the 2001 Singapore International Film Festival and also received the Silver Leopard at Locarno.
Released in 2024, Samsara is a silent love story set in 1930s’ Bali. It narrates the life of an impoverished man who performs a dark ritual to gain wealth to earn the approval of the wealthy parents of the woman he loves. Whispers in the Dabdas depicts the plight of a lawyer compelled to operate within a corrupt justice system aligned with the wealthy and powerful.
Letter to an Angel (1994) tells the story of a boy named Lewa, who believes in an angel that protects the earth. It is also notable as the first film to be shot on Sumba Island in Indonesia.
Published – December 04, 2025 07:16 pm IST
