The film programmes that accompany the exhibition include an international selection of short films arranged in a special order, showing different work contexts in many societies and communities, narratives about people, their ways of being active in groups and unusual stories of social interactions. The films paint a panorama of societies in a few selected places on earth shaped by differents historical and socio-economic factors.
In terms of geography, the series is a journey from south-east Asia, through India, the steppes of Central Asia, the conflict-ridden lands of the Middle East, variuos parts of Europe, all the way to South America. It will show us people’s lives and the contexts of communities in faraway cultures, the origins of conflicts in specific social groups, ways of managing difficult realities, tools and practices characteristic of the societies chosen by the film directors, and the protagonists shown against a background of political arrangements between governing systems and groups in society. As we analyse socio-economic practices and models from different parts of the world, we will seek out similarities and differences. We will also see how the issues and practices we focus on in the Gotong Royong. Things We Do Together exhibition and programme often differ from the realities shown by the films. This may serve as the starting point for a deeper discussion.

This programme was created together with the Short Waves film festival and is a selection of the past few years’ best films, which have won prizes at international festivals. Also, we will show a panorama of the Indonesian society, its complex internal relations, and historical and contemporary contexts, in the selected films from the Forum Lenteng collective from Jakarta, a group of filmmakers, artists and theoreticians.

SET 1

Manodpera, 

dir. Loukianos Moshonas, France/Greece 2016, short feature, 28’

Down on the ground floor, through the seasons, an Albanian worker and a young upper-class Greek are renovating a flat. Up on the roof, at night, the young man and his friends talk about the meaning of life. 

Meryem
dir. Reber Dosky, Netherlands, 2016, documentary, 15’

The film was made during the battle of Kobani. It shows women at the centre of fighting IS. Stoically resilient an assisted by the US Air Force, these women are fighting for freedom. 

Flor de mil colores

dir. Karen Vazquez, Guadarrama, Belgium 2015, documentary, 23’

Flor de Mil Colores is an intimate portrait of Emiliana, a single mother who tries to survive in a remote Bolivian miners’ camp 4,897 metres above sea level. 

Der Block

dir. Nadine Boller, Kyrgyzstan/Switzerland 2015, documentary, 9’

In the steppes of Kyrgyzstan, a Soviet-era building foundation gains importance in the everyday lives of today’s nomads.

#YA
dir. Ygor Gama, Florenica Rovlich, Argentina/Chile/ Germany 2015, experimental, 15’

First it’s paint bombs, followed hard by riots. Tweets proclaim what is to be done. Resistance is everywhere. Something has to give. Two young activists meet amid turbulent events. They dance. The city belongs to them.

SET 2

Import
dir. Ena Sendijarevic, Netherlands 2016, short feature, 16’

A young Bosnian family lives in a small Dutch village. Their everyday attempts to make a life in the new place are often absurd, making us reflect on the condition of Europe today.

Polonez
dir. Agnieszka Elbanowska, Poland 2016, documentary, 16’

The manager of a community centre in Aleksandrów Kujawski announces a contest for presentations of patriotism. The entrants are to be creative, there are no formal restrictions. 

Las disco resplandece
dir. Chema Garcia Ibarra, Turkey/Spain 2016, short feature, 12’

It’s a Saturday in April. The sun is setting, the shadows settle on the mountains. Five young men are getting ready for their evening out. They
have drinks, a car and music. Never mind that the disco has been closed for years. 

The Manliest Man
dir. Anuj Gulati, India 2016, short feature, 22’

When the village potter fails to father a son, the local leader calls on the ‘manliest man’ to help the family. 

Greetings for Kropsdam
dir. Joren Molter, Netherlands, 2016, short feature, 24’

Lammert wouldn’t hurt a fly. He lives in the small village of Kronsdam in Groningen with his fancy pigeons and his best friend, Frieda. His
peaceful life is upset when his neighbours begin to suspect him of working for an electric power company that wants to build a wind
turbine in the village. 

Forum Lenteng Films Selection

The selection of films made by the Forum Lenteng collective from Jakarta includes documentaries and shorts made in the past few years, including
A piece of tale, The dragon who walks on water, The Archive (tribute to H. Misbach Yusa Biran / Sinematek Indonesia), The Unfinished Stream, The
raging soil, Tiger of Minahasa, Years of drizzling land) and interviews with the people of Papua, EBEAILA and Story from Karaka Island. We can learn about the collective’s methodology in its Akumassa social education programme in the exhibition.