Film Activism in Contemporary Indonesia

Edwin Jurriëns is the Deputy Associate Dean International‑Indonesia and Associate Professor in Indonesian Studies at the Asia Institute, Faculty of Arts, The University of Melbourne. His most recent book is The Art of Environmental Activism in Indonesia: Shifting Horizons (Routledge, 2023).Jemma Purdey is an Adjunct Fellow at the Australia‑Indonesia Centre, Monash University. She writes on Indonesian politics and contemporary history. She is the editor of Inside Indonesia magazine, co‑host of Talking Indonesia podcast and the director of ReelOzInd! Australia Indonesia Short Film Festival.Novi Kurnia is Associate Professor at Universitas Gadjah Mada and a researcher on gender, media, and digital literacy, particularly gender and social inclusion in Indonesian cinema. She co‑founded KAFEIN (an association of Indonesian cinema scholars) and contributes to film festivals.

• 1. Introduction Section 1: Historical Roots 2. Ambivalent Alliances, “Taking to the Streets,” and Progressive Neoliberalism: Decades of Film Activism in Indonesia – Intan Paramaditha 3. Political and Social Critique in Some Key Indonesian Films in the First Fifty Years of the New Nation: An Underground Tradition? – David Hanan 4. Indonesian New Cinema: Ambitions for Artistic and Socio-Political Change after Reformasi – Nan Triveni Achnas Section 2: Contemporary Platforms 5. Internationalization as Democratization? Film Festivals, Streaming and Creative Freedom – Thomas Barker 6. Short Film and Komunitas Film in Contemporary Indonesia – Jemma Purdey 7. Indonesian Post-Cinema: Festivals and Filmmaker-Artists at the Intersection between Cinema and Contemporary Art – Irham Nur Anshari Section 3: Gender Inclusion 8. Engaging the Present, Investing in the Future: Promoting GESI Perspectives in the Indonesian Tertiary Film Education Curriculum and Infrastructure – Evi Eliyanah, Novi Kurnia, IGAK Satrya Wibawa, and Tito Imanda 9. Screaming in Silence through Body Movement on Screen: Voicing out Pain, Fear, Trauma, and Desire in Memories of My Body (2018) – Sekar Sari 10. Film and the Politics of Aesthetics: On Before, Now & Then – Seno Gumira Ajidarma Section 4: Local Voices 11. Speaking Nearby in Indonesian Environmental Documentary: Female Agency and Relationality in Our Mothers’ Land – Edwin Jurriëns 12. Youth Stories and Rural Voices in West Sumbanese YouTube Films - Ratna Erika M. Suwarno 13. Negotiating Critique: YouTube, Short Films, and the Politics of Indirect Criticism in Indonesia – Tito Ambyo Index