Children of Srikandi: the first Indonesian documentary about queer women

Children of Srikandi: the first Indonesian documentary about queer women -

 

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first published on Latitudes.nu

For the first time in the history of Indonesian cinema, strange women filmmakers are breaking the silence. Eight Indonesian women, lesbians all had their input on the big screen, as they together produced a documentary about themselves. "Children of Srikandi

This is the first documentary about queer women in Indonesia; only in this country with the largest Muslim population The film is inspired by the mythological figure of Srikandi Mahabharata Hindu epic.. in the puppet theater of traditional Javanese shadow (wayang kulit), Srikandi means a strong and brave character that is neither woman nor man. Srikandi is often described as a warrior.

the documentary consists of eight stories based on the lives of eight women lesbians in Indonesia. They have directed, filmed and starred in the film. Children of Srikandi was recently presented to CinemAsia Festival held recently in Amsterdam, Netherlands. the film had its world premiere earlier this year in Berlin, Germany, the International Film Festival of Berlin.

the whole project began two years ago as a workshop, led by Berlin filmmaker Angelika Levi and Laura Coppens, visual anthropologist and documentary filmmaker. "We wanted to make a documentary about being queer in Indonesia," says Coppens "because usually the films on this subject are made by gay or heterosexual directors."

Laura Coppens (Germany) is a Ph.D. candidate writing a thesis on homosexual women in Indonesia. in addition, she participated in several film festivals, and since 2007 has been the head of the Southeast Asia and section Queer of the Shots Asian Hot film Festival Berlin. "that's why I attended the Q! Film Festival Jakarta in 2009 on invitation of the director, John Badalu. There, I had the idea of ​​this workshop. Eight women applied Jakarta, Yogyakarta Bandung, from different social and religious backgrounds. with the help of in-docs, an organization based in Jakarta which implements documentary workshops to support local talent, we worked on all aspects of the realization of a film on a daily basis for five weeks. "

By choosing Srikandi as an inspiration for this film, the filmmakers want to remind the public that homosexuality is not something modern imported from the West, but is an ancient aspect of Indonesian society. at the same time, the so-called waria are part of Indonesian society and for centuries and are generally spoken of and accepted as part of Indonesian culture. Varia is a common term for the population transgender in Indonesia. it is derived from the Indonesian word for women (Wanita) and man (propria).

the women lesbians and gay men and transvestites face intolerance and violence of religious fundamentalist groups like . FPI (Islamic Defenders front) These same groups seek annulment of festivals such as the film Festival in Jakarta in 2010. Q Coppens said: "to be able to get out of your true identity largely depends on your status and financial situation. Some have to escape from their villages in the countryside to move to big cities like Surabaya or Jakarta, but some families "tolerate" it. Moreover, Indonesia there is a rule of thumb :. If you do not speak on a certain subject, it does not exist "

With this first documentary about lesbians women in Indonesia, they show the world they exist. And these are moments exciting because the first in Indonesia is in Jakarta for the next Q! film Festival in September. Meanwhile, the film will be screened at LGBT (lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender) film festivals in Tel Aviv and San Francisco.

Coppens: "We want to show the film in a safe environment and some women want to use in community awareness programs in Indonesia They want to show it as part of educational programs to explain to. people what is to be a lesbian in Indonesia "

Learn more about the film and the cast on their website :. Http: //www.childrenofsrikandi .com /

 

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