Road Movie 'Salawaku' to Open Jogja Asian Film Fest
Jakarta. New road movie "Salawaku" is set to kick off the 11th Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival at Taman Budaya Yogyakarta on Monday, Nov. 28.
Starring Karina Salim as Saras and child actor Elko Kastanya in the title role, the film follows the two characters as they embark on a journey to find Salawaku's sister, Binaiya, played by Raihaanun.
Salawaku premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October but will not hit Indonesian cinemas until February 2017.
The film bagged three Citra awards, out of eight nominations, for best child actor, best cinematographer and best supporting actress, at the Indonesian Film Festival FFI on Nov. 6.
Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday (17/11), director Pritagira Arianegara said she is happy to be given a chance to open the well-regarded Yogyakarta festival this year.
"My teachers are all from Jogja, and I lived there for a long time. I didn't go to film school in Jogja, but the city holds a special place in my heart," she said.
Prita filmed the drama in 2015, after 11 years of working in film, juggling various types of work from script supervisor to assistant director.
She has worked in Hanung Bramantyo's "Indonesia Merdeka" (Free Indonesia, 2013), Garin Nugroho's "Guru Bangsa Tjokroaminoto" (Founding Father Tjokroaminoto, 2015) and Ismail Basbeth's Another Trip to the Moon (2015) — directors who all hail from Yogyakarta.
Prita also received a Citra nomination for best director for her work in Salawaku, her debut feature.
In an interview with Slate, Prita said she was inspired to make Salawaku because the story touches on women's issues familiar in both big cities and remote areas.
"The themes were very personal to me, so I proposed the script to the producer (Michael Julius) and got a green light," she said.
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