A film that brings the life of people from Bajo tribe in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi, to the big screen won an honorable mention in the Global Film Initiative on April 14, film director Kamila Andini said Tuesday.
The film, titled The Mirror Never Lies, starring the children of Bajo tribe, premiered on Tuesday at XXI Studio FX Plaza in Jakarta. Present at the screening was actress Nadine Chandrawinata, producer Garin Nugroho and director Kamila Andini.
Andini said the film won the award based on its artistic features, plot and cultural perspective.
She added that the film was a joint venture between Wakatoby regency, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia and SET Film Workshop.
“The film was inspired by the real condition of our sea. I love the sea and wanted to document the life of the Bajo tribe [who live close to the sea],” Kamila said as quoted by Antara.
For Kamila, the film is also marks her debut in directing. Previously, she produced video clips and films for television.
“We spent more than two years producing this film. The process was arduous because we had to do lot of research amid a glaring lack of documentation about the Bajo tribe,” she said.
“In addition, we often had to cope with bad weather during the shoot.”
The film features actress Atiqah Hasiholan, Reza Rahadian, and three Bajo children: Gita Novalista, Eko and Zainal.
Andini noted that the film is not a documentary, but it tells the story of a local genius learning from the everyday life and culture of the Bajo people.
The film is expected to be screened in Australia, India, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
WWF Indonesia marketing and communications director Devy Suradji said he hopes The Mirror Never Lies will encourage people to be more actively involved in the preserving the biodiversity of Indonesia's vast marine areas.
