First feature film from Indonesia to win the Grand Prix of the Generation KPlus International Jury award at the prestigious Berlinale.
he movie Sekala Niskala: The Seen and Unseen, by director Kamila Andini, has won the Grand Prix of the Generation KPlus International Jury for the best feature-length film at the Berlin International Film Festival 2018.
The winning movie, endowed with € 7,500 by the Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk, is the first feature film from Indonesia to receive a Grand Prix at the prestigious Berlinale.
According to the official press release, the jury said Kamila had a particular cinematic vision, making the film narrate poetically about life and an emotional journey from a unique perspective. The jury added that the film had successfully embodied careful risk-taking, authenticity, mysticism and dances suitable for films.
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Kamila, who also wrote the screenplay, said movies don’t need to be made in uniformity.
She admitted that Sekala Niskala was not movie that could be made easily. The film is in Balinese, featuring Balinese artists such as Ayu Laksmi and I Ketut Rina.
The movie, which will be launched in Jakarta on March 8, tells the story of buncing twins (fraternal twins, different sexes) one of whom is dying.
A lot of singing and dancing to express feelings and emotions grace the movie. The film also enters the naïve and imaginative realm of childhood.
Debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, Sekala Niskala has also won several awards before, namely Best Youth Feature Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2017, Best Movie at the Tokyo FILMeX 2017, and Best Movie at the Jogja Netpac Asian Film Festival.
The screening and participation of this movie in Berlin was supported by the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) and Cultural Diplomacy of the Education and Culture Ministry.
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Ifa Isfansyah, the producer of Sekala Niskala who is also Kamila’s husband, said the victory was dedicated to fellow filmmakers in Indonesia who also promoted Indonesian culture and issues, and who gave him the energy to carry on producing. (mut)
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