The Black Road
Encyclopedia
The Black Road is a 2005 Australian documentary by William Nessen. The film was shot on location in Aceh
, and reports on the Province’s battle for independence from Indonesia
. Although the film was originally a television documentary, produced for SBS
in Australia, it has since been shown around the world at film festivals and presentations on the subject. The film is critically acclaimed and has received several awards, both Australian and international. The Black Road was among four films on the subject of separatism
that the Indonesian Film Censorship Institute banned in the country.
which was taking place there at the time. Shot over a period of four years, The Black Road follows Nessen as he transforms from being an objective journalist to a supporter of the Free Aceh Movement
(Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, or GAM).
While the 2004 tsunami made Aceh, an Indonesian Province on the northern tip of Sumatra
, well known across the world, most people remain ignorant of its 27-year struggle for independence.
William Nessen first travelled to Aceh in 2001, as a print journalist. At this point, Nessen had no plans for a film, but recorded footage which he intended to sell to television networks. He began to visit General Bambang Darmono
, the leader of the Indonesian military in Aceh. Gaining the trust of General Darmono, Nessen was able to obtain information and shooting opportunities that would have been unavailable to most other journalists. During this period he fell in love with a trusted military translator, Sya’diah Syeh Marhaban
, who was a spy for the separatist movement. They worked together, continuing to extract sensitive information from General Darmono. Nessen, as his collection of footage grew, thought of making a film. This idea would later evolve into The Black Road.
Nessen and Marhaban were married in Aceh. Only a few days after the wedding Nessen’s best man, a human rights activist, was kidnapped and murdered by Indonesian security forces. It became clear to Nessen that the independence movement was supported by the majority of the Acehnese. As his personal experiences began to influence him, he too began to support the GAM
. He went to live on the front lines with the rebels many times, travelling between General Darmono and the guerrillas in secret. In total, Nessen spent more than a year with the GAM before the military realised what he was doing. He was hunted and almost killed by the Indonesian military, who accused him of espionage
. After being ordered to stop reporting from rebel held areas, Nessen spent weeks running from the authorities. After many near-death experiences, he turned himself into the military and was then imprisoned for forty days. Following this he was deported to Singapore
and banned from entering Indonesia for one year, a ban that has been renewed each year since 2004.
A year after the film's release, Nessen was invited to visit his wife's relatives in Aceh. However, upon arrival at the Polonia Airport on 19 April 2006, Nessen was denied entry to Indonesia. No reason was given to him, but his wife told newspapers that the government still considers him a threat.
and was aired on 22 August 2006. It has been shown at a range of other venues, including film festivals and presentations that William Nessen has given on the subject.
The film received good reviews from newspapers around the globe.
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...
, and reports on the Province’s battle for independence from Indonesia
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...
. Although the film was originally a television documentary, produced for SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
in Australia, it has since been shown around the world at film festivals and presentations on the subject. The film is critically acclaimed and has received several awards, both Australian and international. The Black Road was among four films on the subject of separatism
Separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
that the Indonesian Film Censorship Institute banned in the country.
Plot
William Nessen, an American freelance journalist, travels to Aceh, Indonesia to cover the conflictFree Aceh Movement
The Free Aceh Movement , also known as the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front , was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra from Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh Insurgency from 1976 to 2005, costing over 15,000 lives...
which was taking place there at the time. Shot over a period of four years, The Black Road follows Nessen as he transforms from being an objective journalist to a supporter of the Free Aceh Movement
Free Aceh Movement
The Free Aceh Movement , also known as the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front , was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra from Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh Insurgency from 1976 to 2005, costing over 15,000 lives...
(Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, or GAM).
While the 2004 tsunami made Aceh, an Indonesian Province on the northern tip of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, well known across the world, most people remain ignorant of its 27-year struggle for independence.
William Nessen first travelled to Aceh in 2001, as a print journalist. At this point, Nessen had no plans for a film, but recorded footage which he intended to sell to television networks. He began to visit General Bambang Darmono
Bambang Darmono
Major General Bambang Darmono was the commander of the Indonesian military presence in Aceh from 2002 to 2005. Accusations of human rights violations have been leveled at his command during this time.-References:...
, the leader of the Indonesian military in Aceh. Gaining the trust of General Darmono, Nessen was able to obtain information and shooting opportunities that would have been unavailable to most other journalists. During this period he fell in love with a trusted military translator, Sya’diah Syeh Marhaban
Sya’diah Syeh Marhaban
During the conflict between the Free Aceh Movement and the Indonesian government Shadia Marhaban worked as a journalist and a translator, most famously collaborating with journalist William Nissen on the documentary The Black Road in Aceh...
, who was a spy for the separatist movement. They worked together, continuing to extract sensitive information from General Darmono. Nessen, as his collection of footage grew, thought of making a film. This idea would later evolve into The Black Road.
Nessen and Marhaban were married in Aceh. Only a few days after the wedding Nessen’s best man, a human rights activist, was kidnapped and murdered by Indonesian security forces. It became clear to Nessen that the independence movement was supported by the majority of the Acehnese. As his personal experiences began to influence him, he too began to support the GAM
Free Aceh Movement
The Free Aceh Movement , also known as the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front , was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra from Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh Insurgency from 1976 to 2005, costing over 15,000 lives...
. He went to live on the front lines with the rebels many times, travelling between General Darmono and the guerrillas in secret. In total, Nessen spent more than a year with the GAM before the military realised what he was doing. He was hunted and almost killed by the Indonesian military, who accused him of espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
. After being ordered to stop reporting from rebel held areas, Nessen spent weeks running from the authorities. After many near-death experiences, he turned himself into the military and was then imprisoned for forty days. Following this he was deported to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and banned from entering Indonesia for one year, a ban that has been renewed each year since 2004.
Production
Between 2001 and 2003, Nessen spent almost a year in Aceh. During this time, Nessen was repeatedly ordered to stop reporting from rebel-held areas. Upon giving himself up to Indonesian authorities, Nessen was imprisoned for 40 days. The Indonesian military originally accused him of espionage, and threatened the death penalty, but due to U.S. Embassy involvement in the case Nessen was found to be innocent, and was only charged with failing to inform officials of an address change and failing to report to martial law authorities. Following this he was expelled from Indonesia and was denied entry for a year.A year after the film's release, Nessen was invited to visit his wife's relatives in Aceh. However, upon arrival at the Polonia Airport on 19 April 2006, Nessen was denied entry to Indonesia. No reason was given to him, but his wife told newspapers that the government still considers him a threat.
Distribution
The film was produced for SBSSpecial Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
and was aired on 22 August 2006. It has been shown at a range of other venues, including film festivals and presentations that William Nessen has given on the subject.
Reception
Along with three similar films, The Black Road was banned from being shown at an international film festival by the Indonesian Film Censorship Institute. This decision was attacked as a breach of free speech and freedom of the press.Critics
The Black Road has been criticized on many counts. It tends to focus more on Nessen's personal adventures than on the reality of both GAM and Indonesian soldiers or civilians. His footage attacks only the most liberal Indonesian Generals, the only ones who would work with foreign media. Nessen fails to interview GAM rank and file, instead focusing on his personal excitement at attacking Indonesian soldiers and his own wedding. Finally, the conclusion is widely seen as forced, over the top sentiment which ignores the popular changes after the disaster, namely lack of support for continued fighting. While many of these criticisms are valid, The Black Road is indeed a personal account of a journalist's story that ultimately changes him from objective observer to sympathetic participant and gives an insight into the difficulties of remaining impartial when covering such stories.The film received good reviews from newspapers around the globe.
Awards
- William Nessen was awarded Best Documentary for The Black Road at the 2006 Mumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films , is a festival organised in the city of Mumbai by the 'Film Division', Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It has been organised since 1990, and focuses on documentary, short and animation...
. - Andrew Ogilvie was awarded "Best Film of the Festival" for The Black Road at the 2006 Mumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films , is a festival organised in the city of Mumbai by the 'Film Division', Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It has been organised since 1990, and focuses on documentary, short and animation...
. - The Black Road won Screenrights' Best Made-for-TV Documentary at the DOCNZ Film Festival.
- The Black Road was given a Special Mention at the DOCNZ Film Festival.
- Lawrie Silvestrin was nominated for an AFI Award in 2005 for "Best Editing in a Documentary" by the Australian Film InstituteAustralian Film InstituteThe Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
.