The Power of Cinema Resonates Through the Selection of Films in the Program Global Short Official Selection 3
Jakarta Film Week returns this year, 2024, through the theme “Resonance”. To quote Andhika Permata, the Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Department of DKI Jakarta Province, the theme “Resonance” contains a reflective meaning of how cinema has the power to spark meaningful discussions and create impactful changes on numerous national as well as international issues.
Kristo Immanuel, Ambassador of Jakarta Film Week 2024, also believes that films are not merely for entertainment, but they are a powerful medium which can resonate with current social conditions and influence the way we perceive the world.
Films with strong character, including a collaborative film with Erasmus Huis
Empowered by their passion for resonance, Jakarta Film Week 2024 chooses four short films to be screened in Global Short Official Selection 3. Among these films are Seahorse Parents (2023) and Mally Can Fly (2023) from the Netherlands, which are products of Jakarta Film Week 2024’s collaboration with Erasmus Huis. Two other films are Ballad of the Happy Kind (2023) from Belgium, and La Voix de Sirènes (2023) from France and Italy.
Each film resonated with this year’s Jakarta Film Week theme and possesses a unique energy and meaning. The film Ballad of The Happy Kind presents the journey of Mona and Simon, who have been leading a life of charades before realizing that sometimes, the journey isn’t always smooth.
Connecting the shared fate of unhappy journeys, Malika in the film Mally Can Fly also experiences her own difficulties chasing after a career in basketball. She faces financial problems which makes her question her choices and next steps in her career. However, her father, coach, and teammates are able to reignite Malika’s energy to struggle onwards.
In Seahorse Parents, Liam, Alex, Ruben, and Jerome share the challenges of conceiving a child and becoming a good parent for their future child as transgender men. Cleverly titled, this film refers to the natal process of a pair of seahorses. For seahorses, pregnancy and birth are all carried out by their males. By using the concept of seahorses, this film portrays that pregnancy, birth, and child-rearing are not something confined to a specific gender.
These three films share a similarity of exploring the roles of people close to us affect our journey. They also show the importance of creating and facilitating meaningful transformations one’s self, one’s partner, and their condition. From these films, we can see that each character has their own inner battle that they cope with in their own way.
Not only do they provide entertaining modes of learning realities, these films align with Jakarta Film Week 2024’s theme “Resonance” in empowering and creating change through action as well as broadening our perspectives of our diverse world.
Other than the aforementioned film titles, there are many more films, both feature-length and short, being showcased throughout the festival until the 27th of October. For more information about Jakarta Film Week 2024’s programs and events, visit our website www.jakartafilmweek.com and follow us on social media @jakartafilmweek. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be part of this celebration of international cinema in Jakarta, this year!
Muhamad Iqbal Ramadhan | Nanda Hadiyanti
tr. Fairuza Hanun