Feature Film Projects

1. A CURSED WOMAN

            Director: Najam Yardo

            Scriptwriter: Intan Nadya Maulida

            Producer: Yuh Rohana Meliala

            Drama

Synopsis

Minah (55) is a widow who has been left by her husband three times, all of whom died after being married to her. She, who was also an ex-political prisoner in 1965, is not only labeled as a Gerwani (a woman organization that was banned and accused of being communist) but also as a Perempuan Bahu Laweyan, a cursed woman who believed could bring bad luck to her partner, even death. She once again gives hope for love and a chance to prove that she is not bringing the curse after Rusmin (60), whose beloved wife just bereaved, enters Minah’s life and begins to get closer to her. At first, this is a romance between two elderly lone people who share their loneliness together, search for reasons to live despite the societal norms that confine them. Until one day, Minah discovers the reason for Rusmin’s attitude: to look for death through a curse that people say Minah has.

2. CHILL OUT, GIRL!

            Director / Scriptwriter: Din Damar

            Producer / Scriptwriter: Ellen Xie

            Animation, Drama, Comedy

Synopsis

Nala, a spirited 19-year-old, dreams of freedom and independence from her quirky yet a love-deprived family after college. A pesky university fine puts her plans on the line until she meets Mike, a charming and successful man. Believing he’s her ticket to a brighter future, Nala hilariously sets out to win his heart. Amidst side-splitting laughter and bonding over dysfunctional family tales, Nala and Mike’s connection grows. But when reality hits, Nala uncovers Mike’s true colours and her father’s secret affair, shielded by her self-sacrificing mom. In a rollercoaster of emotions, Nala’s heartbreak leads her to a surprising revelation: her seven siblings and her mom have been her unwavering support all along. Swapping resentment for empathy, she embraces her mother’s sacrifices. With a heartwarming twist, Nala selflessly uses her college savings to help her mother rediscovers herself. United by love and newfound understanding, Nala’s family stands stronger than ever, empowering her mom to seek a fresh start through a divorce. Through hilarious antics and touching sacrifices, Nala discovers that genuine happiness comes from the heart of her loving family, paving her path to self-discovery and contentment. Chill Out, Girl! is a delightful comedy-drama celebrating the power of love, laughter, and finding oneself within the colourful chaos of family.

3. MARIA

            Director: Manuel Alberto Maia

            Scriptwriter: Ifan Ismail

            Producer: Damar Ardi

            Drama

Synopsis

Petrus, a hopeless romantic young man, desperately wants to be accepted as a real man by going through the Sifon ritual, which involves sexual intimacy with an adult woman right after circumcision. For this purpose, he must choose the woman he likes on his own. However, he finds the process challenging and becomes caught in a dilemma when he discovers that Maria, who he is attracted to, is entangled in social prison.

4. SALTY BREEZE OF THE NORTHERN SEA

            Director / Scriptwriter: Sinung Winahyoko

            Producer: John Badalu 

            Drama, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Traumatized by the loss of his twin sister as a child, Indra (M/25) decides to become a transwoman to find the essence of her sister within herself following multiple signs from the sister to communicate with each other from another dimension. She aspires to be a real woman but ends up being a prostitute. She loses her passion for sex until she meets a soldier (M/30) who becomes her lover. One day, a strange eclipse attracts her to make love with the eclipse. As a consequence, she becomes pregnant and loses her five senses one after another. Not being able to find the answer to that phenomenon, she wanders to leave her past and have a new life. She returns to the village where she grew up and lost her twin sister. She starts life in the sinking coastal village to understand nature and herself in an effort to heal her childhood trauma.

5. WHEN THE GIRLS GO MARCHING IN

            Director / Scriptwriter: Anggita Puri

            Scriptwriter: Melarissa Sjarief

            Producer: Florence Giovani

            Drama, Coming of Age

Synopsis

After her non-consensual intimate video goes viral, NADIRA (F/17) decides to move schools from Jakarta and start a new life in Bandung with her mother. Slowly, Nadira tries to recover from her trauma by joining the color guard of the marching band club at her new school. Nadira’s hope of moving forward peacefully crumbles when she learns that her team will compete against her old school’s marching band. Nadira must confront the resurfacing trauma when she meets her friends and former lover who caused deep wounds in her life. Alongside Nadira’s team qualifying for the finals alongside her old school’s team, Nadira’s video spreads throughout her new school, shattering her life for the second time. Nadira’s teammates are shocked, but they agree that her past does not affect anything and believe in the Nadira they have known. When Nadira finally decides to join the final competition, she and her best friend created an unexpected surprise: performing and having fun on the stage. Little did they know, some old school friends also join in, creating a moment that Nadira will cherish forever.

Short Film Projects

1. ANOTHER DAY OF SOMETHING UNUSUAL

            Director / Scriptwriter: Sesarini

            Director: Ali Azca

            Producer: Dewangkoro Rinugroho

            Drama, Fantasy

Synopsis

A figure formed from past trauma rises from the dead in a dystopian world. Its presence is not realized by anyone. The figure lives following the journey of a family that lives individually under one roof and sees how the world has turned to the unreal. Humans have forgotten themselves and believe in things that are blurry and odd. There’s the mother who’s busy

buying low-quality items on her phone, the son who’s engrossed in swearing with older friends on VR games, and the father who steals time looking for tech-made women on social media. The figure does small, unnatural things, such as quieting a crying baby and preparing dinner together. The figure is trying to maintain balance. When an unusual thing is reciprocated with another unusual thing, at that moment the situation reverses, which was initially ignored, now people begin to recognize the existence of the figure. What she did was able to turn a cold family into one around the dinner table.

2. HOLY DAYS OF LAND AND ALL THAT REMAINS

            Director / Scriptwriter: Rachmat H. Mustamin

            Producer: Whisnu Yonar

            Drama

Synopsis

In a village in South Sulawesi, a married couple by the names of Haris and Jarra are keeping two pigs as an inheritance. One day, Pak Basyar, the Head of Village, appeals to the people to get rid of all of the forbidden animals in the village, so that they can receive a financial donation from a political party. The village has not received any development program assistance from the ruling political party since a long time. Approaching to the election day, the Star Crescent Party promised the Head of Village will provide program assistance with special condition. The party is aiming to enforce Islamic law in their territory. Therefore, one of the conditions proposed was that villagers who owned and kept haram or impure animals should be willing to kill their pets. Driven by the desire to acquire assistance from the Party, along with other village officials, the Village Head pressured the villagers to comply with the Party’s wishes. Amidst the pressure and frustration, Haris and Jarra find a way to fulfill the Village Head’s order.

3. THE MOST HANDSOME FISH ON EARTH

            Director: Netanya Yemima

            Producer / Scriptwriter: Bela Nabila

            Comedy, Drama

Synopsis

During the afternoon picket after school, two best friends Kayla (12) and Heidi (12) accidentally killed Tejo, the school’s mascot fish who was just about to receive an award as the Most Handsome Fish in DKI Jakarta. Knowing Tejo was dead, the Principal was angry and announced that the culprit must be found. The Headmaster’s hysterical reaction made Kayla and Heidi decide to keep the incident a secret. They plan to erase their tracks by tricking everyone at school. Kayla and Heidi also pretended to investigate who the culprit was. They also recruited some of their friends to join their investigative team. The plan went smoothly, until they were caught by Timo (12), a classmate who was always Kayla’s rival in all subjects. Unintentionally, they missed some important details, which in the end lead Timo to discover that Kayla and Heidi were the culprits. When Timo reported this to the Principal, they apologized and in the end worked up the courage to criticize the Principal’s failure to provide a safe space at school.

4. TINAH BUYS CIGARETTES

            Director / Scriptwriter / Producer: Gugun Arief

            Producer: Paundra Wibatsu

            Action, Black Comedy

Synopsis

Tinah is a woman in her 40s who lives with her husband Wawan. Wawan, in his 40s, is a temperamental unemployed. One day at 12 pm Wawan ordered Tina to buy cigarettes. Tina obeyed so that Wawan would not go into a tantrum. Tina rode a motorbike to the shop which was located quite far from home. When she returned home, Tinah met several underage teenagers who were riding motorbikes. They attacked Tinah using sharp weapons. Chases and fights ensued on motorcycles that drove on deserted roads. Tenacious fight. Tinah returned home safely in a very tired condition, but Wawan cursed her.instead. Finally, Tinah releases the anger that she has buried for years toward Wawan.

5. UNEXPECTED DAY

            Director / Scriptwriter: Sarah Adilah

            Producer: Tazia Teresa Darryanto

            Drama, Suspense

Synopsis

NUR (27) is an NGO fieldworker in an isolated area of Bada Valley Poso, Central Sulawesi. She is 39-week pregnant. Nur’s current mission is to aid WANDA (15), a victim of sexual assault by her uncle, who is facing an unwanted pregnancy. Despite undergoing an investigation at the local police station, the case has not yet gone to court due to the perpetrator’s family’s willingness to accept a traditional penalty determined by the village council Wanda is 7 weeks pregnant and determined to abort the fetus. One day, during a village council gathering to resolve the case, a buffalo appears in front of Wanda’s house. Seizing the opportunity, Nur and Wanda decide to secretly ride motorcycles to seek a safe abortion procedure with RAHMA (30), an obstetrician at the hospital. During the arduous journey on the damaged roads, Nur begins to experience contractions. Taking charge of the motorcycle, Wanda ensures they reach their destination. Upon arriving at the hospital, Nur is rushed to the emergency room together with Wanda. In the midst of it all, Wanda whispers to Nur, congratulating her on giving birth to a baby. Nur whispers back, expressing her gratitude for Wanda’s unwavering courage.

6. WEDDING CEREMONY

            Director: Erlangga Radhikza

            Scriptwriter: Sofia Lo

            Producers: Tazia Teresa Darryanto, Fanni Mardhotillah

            Drama

Synopsis

Rama (25) and Shinta (22) sit next to each other surrounded by guests, witnesses and the priest. The priest utters the words of approval, Rama is enthusiastic. “Sah!”, the wedding process is closed with a fanfare from the guests. Amidst the hubbub, the sound of an ambulance is heard. The hubbub turned to questions and worries. Guests start to leave the wedding ceremony and look at the sound source. The reception, which is planned to be festive, turns awkward, because a close neighbour of the bride’s family passed away suddenly. The mother of the bride insists on stopping the reception process, while the mother of the groom refuses because the event drains her family’s savings. Rama and Shinta have to mediate between their families. In fact, they were waiting for the event to finish so they could enjoy the first night soon. No one wants to give in, the two ceremonies inevitably continue to run side by side with each other. The vendors continue with the preparations for the reception, guests start to arrive to see the wedding sign and the funeral flag being put up side by side, as well as the “congratulations” and “my deepest condolences” wreaths.     

AWARDS

The Open Imagination Project represents recognition and assistance for chosen short film project(s) that have undergone development within LOCK x Full Circle Lab 2023 and presented their projects to stakeholders. In this edition, the award includes film production grants and post-production support. Awards were provided with support from Base Entertainment, Bioskop Online, Palari Films, Super 8mm Studio, and Fourmix Jakarta Film Studio. Recipients of the awards are the following:

Film Production Grant presented by:

1. Base Entertainment – “Tinah Buys Cigarettes” dir. Gugun Arief
2. Bioskop Online – “Wedding Ceremony” dir. Erlangga Radhikza
3. Palari Films – “Holy Days of Land and All that Remains” dir. Rachmat H. Mustamin