Indonesia, home to the largest Muslim population in the world, has almost always been the face of a tolerant Islam.

However, there has also been religion-based conflict in the country – either between Muslims and non-Muslims or among the different mazhab (sects) of Islam.

Those conflicts usually took place once in a couple of decades, and in the last decade, Indonesians have witnessed a trend of growing religious sectarianism that led to more and more political and social division in the country.

The Madani Film Festival is crucial, therefore, to remind Indonesians all over again about what makes their country remarkable –– being a place where Islam can go in harmony with diversity.

The festival carries the central theme “Reconcile”, which is also apt to reunite a country that has recently been torn apart by a very divisive presidential election that pit Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s patriotic ideology against retired Army general Prabowo Subianto, who had aligned himself with hardline Islamist groups.

Jokowi eventually won the election, but the divisiveness remained even after he appointed Prabowo as his defense minister on Wednesday. Supporters of both camps are still throwing shade at each other on social media, and most of those from Prabowo’s camp still use Islamic narratives to delegitimize the elected government.

Indonesians need to “reconcile”, and for a start, they can go to the Madani Film Festival to rebuild the unity that used to bring them together.

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