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‘Banda’ delivers more than just the islands’ history
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A promotional poster for 'Banda: The Dark Forgotten Trail' shows a nutmeg seed. The documentary is set to premiere on Aug. 3. (facebook.com/lifelikepictures/File)
B
em>Banda: The Dark Forgotten Trail narrates the influence of the islands’ endemic spice, nutmeg, on the nation’s past and present. Produced by Sheila ‘Lala’ Timothy and directed by celebrated director Jay Subyakto under Lifelike Pictures, the seven-part documentary opens with the history of the Spice Trail and the Europeans’ maritime expeditions across the globe.
From the route taken by the explorers to the Banda Islands, to the legend of the islands' nutmeg trees and details about the spice's trade that made Banda a trading hub for traders from Arabia, India and China, the well-researched documentary is presented in meticulous detail.
Jay Subyakto takes the audience through the different periods of the Banda Islands, celebrating the glory days of the nutmeg trade, while also commemorating the 1621 genocide committed by Dutch governor general Jan Pieterzoon Coen. The documentary also shines light on Banda Islands’ generational problem, which has seen the modern young people of Banda decide leave behind their traditional culture.
Read also: ‘Banda’ wants to break documentary stereotype
Another notable highlight of the film is how it documents the shift in the world’s appreciation of nutmeg, such as how the commodity is now easily accessible, the current production process, which impact the islands’ nutmeg quality and other problems faced by the farmers.
Apart from the beautiful cinematography that showcases the raw beauty of the Banda Islands, Jay also intersperses the documentary with surprising elements such as animations by SMK Rus Kudus Central Java’s vocational school students. Unlike typical documentaries, which often rely on reenactments by trained actors for historical scenes, the makers of Banda: The Dark Forgotten Trail chose to involve the children of Banda to act in the film as a way to connect the seven parts.
“Reenactment means using actors who are transformed to be as similar as possible [to the locals and the Dutch]. Personally, I think it would distract the audience,” Jay said to The Jakarta Post. “When we read about history, we create visualizations in our mind. I don’t want to interrupt that with half-hearted [reenactments].”
Jay expertly weaves in Chairil Anwar’s poem “Cerita Buat Dien Tamalea” (Story for Dien Tamalea) into the documentary, narrated by actor Reza Rahadian in Bahasa Indonesia and Ario Bayu in English.
Producer Lala Timothy said to the Post, ““Hopefully this film can be enjoyed by Indonesian film enthusiasts and I also hope the history of Banda will always be remembered as part of the spirit of Indonesia.”
Banda: The Dark Forgotten Trail is scheduled to premiere on Aug. 3. (asw)
