Puisi Tak Terkuburkan
Encyclopedia
Puisi Tak Terkuburkan is a 2000
award winning Indonesian
documentary
/drama directed by Garin Nugroho
in black and white. At the 2001 Singapore International Film Festival
the film won the FIPRESCI
Prize and the Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Actor which went to the poet Ibrahim Kadir, who played himself. The film was also nominated at for the Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Feature Film, while Nugroho won the Silver Leopard Video Award at the Locarno International Film Festival
.
While alone, Kadir thinks of the crimes committed by the military that he has witnessed, including the killings of unarmed women and children, as well as the execution of the wrongfully incarcerated. He continues to hear the voices of the past as the number of prisoners dwindles done to a few; he is eventually released after spending 22 days in prison.
, he wrote Puisi Tak Terkuburkan to "reinterpret the wounds of history" after being offered Rp
60 million (US$ 7,000) to write a script after finishing Daun di Atas Bantal
. At the time, he intended to make three films: one regarding Aceh
, one regarding Papua, and one about the youth movement, choosing areas of potential conflict.
Anne Rutherford, a senior lecturer on cinema studies at the University of Western Sydney
, notes that Puisi Tak Terkuburkan was the first Indonesian movie to discuss the 1965–1966 communist purge. It was produced during a "wave" of Indonesian films criticizing former president Suharto's New Order
regime. Such films were not allowed during the New Order, and Nugroho reported that his family feared he would be killed.
Puisi Tak Terkuburkan was shot in a digital video format, with shooting beginning in August 1999.
The perpetrators of the communist purges are not shown on screen. According to Rutherford, this leaves the audience wondering "what has gone wrong?".
It was screened at the Sydney Asia Pacific Film Festival in 2001. In February 2005, Nugroho showed the film to raise money to help the Aceh
nese survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
. Kadir won Best Actor at Cinefan film festival in India in 2001; that same year, he received best actor at the Singapore International Film Festival
, with the film winning a jury prize for best film.
2000 in film
The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
award winning Indonesian
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
/drama directed by Garin Nugroho
Garin Nugroho
Garin Nugroho Riyanto , better known as Garin Nugroho, is an award-winning Indonesian film director.-Biography:Nugroho was born in Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta on 6 June 1961. He was the fourth child of postal workers Soetjipto Amin and Mariah, who eventually had seven children...
in black and white. At the 2001 Singapore International Film Festival
Singapore International Film Festival
The Singapore International Film Festival was launched in 1987. The festival is an annual film event, held around April/May each year, and screens about 300 films from over 45 countries...
the film won the FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
Prize and the Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Actor which went to the poet Ibrahim Kadir, who played himself. The film was also nominated at for the Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Feature Film, while Nugroho won the Silver Leopard Video Award at the Locarno International Film Festival
Locarno International Film Festival
The Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
.
Plot
In 1965, Ibrahim Kadir (played by himself) is falsely arrested after being accused of being a communist or communist sympathizer. While imprisoned, he meets other inmates who have also been falsely imprisoned. Together, they sing the traditional poetic form didong, and attempt to band together. However, every day more prisoners are taken outside and executed.While alone, Kadir thinks of the crimes committed by the military that he has witnessed, including the killings of unarmed women and children, as well as the execution of the wrongfully incarcerated. He continues to hear the voices of the past as the number of prisoners dwindles done to a few; he is eventually released after spending 22 days in prison.
Production
According to the film's director Garin NugrohoGarin Nugroho
Garin Nugroho Riyanto , better known as Garin Nugroho, is an award-winning Indonesian film director.-Biography:Nugroho was born in Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta on 6 June 1961. He was the fourth child of postal workers Soetjipto Amin and Mariah, who eventually had seven children...
, he wrote Puisi Tak Terkuburkan to "reinterpret the wounds of history" after being offered Rp
Indonesian rupiah
The rupiah is the official currency of Indonesia. Issued and controlled by the Bank of Indonesia, the ISO 4217 currency code for the Indonesian rupiah is IDR. Informally, Indonesians also use the word "perak" in referring to rupiah...
60 million (US$ 7,000) to write a script after finishing Daun di Atas Bantal
Daun di Atas Bantal
Daun di Atas Bantal is a 1998 award winning Indonesian film directed by Garin Nugroho. It is one of the most acclaimed films from Indonesia in recent years and was the country's proposal for an Academy Award...
. At the time, he intended to make three films: one regarding Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
, one regarding Papua, and one about the youth movement, choosing areas of potential conflict.
Anne Rutherford, a senior lecturer on cinema studies at the University of Western Sydney
University of Western Sydney
The University of Western Sydney, also known as UWS, is a multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, notes that Puisi Tak Terkuburkan was the first Indonesian movie to discuss the 1965–1966 communist purge. It was produced during a "wave" of Indonesian films criticizing former president Suharto's New Order
New Order (Indonesia)
The New Order is the term coined by former Indonesian President Suharto to characterize his regime as he came to power in 1966. Suharto used this term to contrast his rule with that of his predecessor, Sukarno...
regime. Such films were not allowed during the New Order, and Nugroho reported that his family feared he would be killed.
Puisi Tak Terkuburkan was shot in a digital video format, with shooting beginning in August 1999.
Style
The movie is set entirely within two prison cells and a guards' room. Nugroho uses close shots which, according to Rutherford, amplify the claustrophobia of the setting. The film is shot entirely in black and white. She describes the sound as being fluent and mobile, contrasting the claustrophobia of the shots. Nugroho himself considered the visuals secondary to the dialog.The perpetrators of the communist purges are not shown on screen. According to Rutherford, this leaves the audience wondering "what has gone wrong?".
Themes
The Gayo poetic form didong, contrasting two or more voices, is prominent throughout the film. During and following the communist purges, didong was used as a way to reinforce that revolutions would bring death to the perpetrators.Release and reception
Puisi Tak Terkuburkan was released in 2000. Nugroho said that it was not meant to be commercial, and that he only planned to show it for several days at higher-class theatres before selling it to local television stations.It was screened at the Sydney Asia Pacific Film Festival in 2001. In February 2005, Nugroho showed the film to raise money to help the Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
nese survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
Awards
Puisi Tak Terkuburkan received the Silver Leopard award at the 2000 Locarno International Film FestivalLocarno International Film Festival
The Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
. Kadir won Best Actor at Cinefan film festival in India in 2001; that same year, he received best actor at the Singapore International Film Festival
Singapore International Film Festival
The Singapore International Film Festival was launched in 1987. The festival is an annual film event, held around April/May each year, and screens about 300 films from over 45 countries...
, with the film winning a jury prize for best film.