From Kanjuruhan to Sri Lanka: The Powerful Stories Behind the Films at Jakarta Film Week 2024

A crowd of viewers attended the screening of Global Short Competition 2, a compilation featuring six short films, as part of Jakarta Film Week 2024 on its second day.

Held at Asrul Sani Theater, Taman Ismail Marzuki, the audience enjoyed screenings of films such as Shallot Salad, The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, Oyu, Deliverance, Seeding, Blossoming, Fruiting, and Stranglement.

Following the screenings, a Q&A session brought together BW Purbanegara, Director of Shallot Salad, and Inoka Palliyaguru, Director of Stranglement. They answered questions about the technical aspects of production, challenges faced during the filmmaking process, and their hopes for their works in the Global Short Competition at Jakarta Film Week 2024.

BW Purbanegara shared that Shallot Salad was inspired by his grief and concern over the tragic Kanjuruhan incident in 2022. With a creative process that took only five days, and limited resources provided by friends, he poured his heart into preparing the film.

“One of the challenges was the post-production process, which took a year and a half,” added BW Purbanegara. Driven by similar concerns, Inoka Palliyaguru, the director of Stranglement, expressed that in her homeland, Sri Lanka, suicide tragedies are disturbingly common. This reality motivated her to create a film that raises awareness of the hardships in Sri Lanka, which often drive people to such despair.

Interestingly, both films stemmed from deep-seated concerns of their creators. Both BW Purbanegara and Inoka believe film is a powerful medium to convey personal messages in a broader, more accessible way.

Through Shallot Salad, BW Purbanegara seeks to highlight the critical issues still unresolved in Indonesia and hopes that solutions can be found in alignment with human rights principles. Inoka, meanwhile, hopes that the selection of Stranglement for the Global Short Competition at Jakarta Film Week 2024 will inspire her nation and peers to nurture Sri Lanka’s film industry.

“There’s no market in my country to distribute this film,” said Inoka.

BW Purbanegara concluded with the wish that Jakarta Film Week could be extended, with more programs and a wider variety of films.

“That would be amazing, even if it’s more exhausting. Kudos to the Jakarta Film Week 2024 team for their hard work in making this festival a reality,” BW Purbanegara said in closing.

For more information on Jakarta Film Week 2024 programs and events, visit www.jakartafilmweek.com and follow us on social media @jakartafilmweek. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this international celebration of cinema in Jakarta this year!

Nabila Dwiputri | Nanda Hadiyanti