Yayasan Bali Taksu is presenting the Bali Film Festival 30 November – 4 December 2007. The event is an international Festival screening films form all over the world. Highlights of the Festival include many fascinating films from or about Indonesia.
This wondeful program includes:
LA ISLA DE BALI – ISLAND OF BALI – Miguel Covarrubias’ original film, screening sponsored by the Embassy of Mexico, Jakarta (60min) (1930),
THE RITES OF PEACE- (Directed and co-written by Marcus Sean McBain) (Narrated and co-written by Dr Lawrence Blair), (Executive Producer Mark Tuck, Producer Lucien Thynne in association with One Sky). (35mn) (2006) The rites of Peace are as old as the rites of War, but few have the staying power of the Madewasraya ritual, practiced by the Balinese for over a thousand years. This is the story of the Madewasraya Ceremonies of 2006, the greatest of Balinese Peace Rites which, in troubled times, are carried out to restore harmony between Man, his world and his Gods. Involving more than 100,000 people, six months of preparation, this ceremony took over two months to film, with five separate camera crews.
RAONI AND THE FIRST WORLD – Five (26 min) documentaries- A selection from the series of Award-winning Ethno-Documentaries from the remote regions of Indonesia, by Jean-Pierre Dutilleux
THE KOROWAI – The Korowai tribe of Irian Jaya are known as the last cannibals who have a tradition of eating their enemies.
THE UNA – This is the only place on earth where man still makes stone adzes, a craft that takes 20 years to learn.
THE ASMAT – Asmat men adorn their noses with tusks of nautilus shells to look like wild boars. Fierce warriors, with a long history of cannibalism, they are also gifted sculptors. THE MASUANE- The Masuana live in the heart of the island of Ceram, in the Moluccas in a forest that is threatened by the slash and burn of transmigration from other parts of Indonesia. ö The shamans of Almahera are the guardians of a sacred forest, where they try to foster harmony in the universe through their spiritual powers properties of medicinal plants.
SORCERESS OF DIRAH – (46 min) (1994)- An avant-garde choreographed film presentation depicting the constant life struggle between good and evil, representative of Balinese culture through an epic Balinese story. Co-directed by Robert Chappel award winning director of cinematography and renowned Indonesian choreographer Sardono Kusomo. A Katena Film Production
TALE – Aku Ingin Menciummu Saja -Nugroho 2002 – The film dwells on a Papuan teenage boy (Arnold, 15 years) who meets a woman at the port and is obsessed by desire to kiss her. At the same time, his father (Berthold, 41 years), an activist and casssowary dance instructor, is being hunted down by some unknown people because of his political activities to demand justice for the detention of Theys Eluay, chairman of the Papuan Council Presidium. Arnold’s obsession to kiss a woman mysteriously helps the characters in this film find themselves. Garin Nugroho once more displays his amazing mastery at developing a scenario spontaneously with a depth of meaning that awaits the audience’s individual interpretation.
Yayasan Bali Taksu Indonesia is a non-profit organization working towards increasing cultural exchange, understanding and collaboration between Indonesia and the world. Their mission is to develop understanding and respect for freedom of expression, human rights and intellectual property rights. The foundation will foster cross-cultural respect and tolerance through script-writing and film-making workshops, seminars and film festivals in cultural centers, museums and other community, educational and cultural venues in Indonesia and abroad.
www.balifilmfest.com