12 januari 2020

Synopsis

Fajar Merah (21) is the son of Wiji Thukul – a poets and human rights activist who was ‘made to disappeared’ in 1998 by The Soeharto Regime. Together with ‘Merah Bercerita’, a band established at 2010, and supported by his family, he tries to bring back his father’s poems to life, covers them with music notations and creates a music album.  In a dynamic background of 2014 Indonesian Presidential Election, 16 years after the 1998 tragedy, Fajar and family develops a new hope on one candidate; Joko Widodo, to solve some Human Rights Violation cases, to find Wiji Thukul and other victims

Director Statement

I love music. For me music is a great weapon to express feelings and exchange opinions. It is able to fill layers of age and social class gaps, the reason I decided to do this documentary.

Fajar Merah for me is not only the son of Wiji Thukul, but also a person with a dazzling personality. In a young age, he is able to mix words and music notations with a musicality that beyond average.

Merah Bercerita has developed a decent music character before five years  of unity, has become a magnet in their town, Surakarta, then to Central Java, and Indonesia in general. This documentary is not only talk about Wiji Thukul family’s and the band’s hopes to government that will solve May 1998 tragedy, but also a effort refused to forget for Human Rights Violation cases in Indonesia, at once as a mark of a young passionate flaming soul amongst Indonesia’s dynamic politics during the 2014 Presidential Election.

Regisseur Yuda Kurniawan

Documentaire, Indonesie, 2018, 112 minuten

Indonesisch gesproken, Engels ondertiteld