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Award-winning documentary 'The Land Beneath the Fog' available on YouTube
Directed by Shalahuddin Siregar, the documentary narrates a community in a remote village in Central Java whose lives still depend on traditional agriculture.
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A still from the award-winning documentary 'The Land Beneath the Fog' by Shalahuddin Siregar. (HujanTropis on YouTube/File)
Award-winning documentary Negeri di Bawah Kabut (The Land Beneath the Fog) is now available on YouTube.
Directed by Shalahuddin “Udin” Siregar, the 2011 documentary narrates a community that resides at Geniken village on the slope of Mount Merbabu, Central Java, whose lives still depend on traditional agriculture. They rely on the traditional Javanese calendar system to predict the weather, but climate change presents another challenge to the farmers. Aside from harvest failures, they also have to face the harsh reality that their harvested goods are sold at very low prices.
The Land Beneath the Fog has received various awards, including the Special Jury Prize for the 2011 Dubai International Film Festival’s Muhr Asia/Africa Documentary category and Best Debut Documentary at the 2013 Almaty International Film Festival.
Read also: Documentary filmmakers re(framing) local stories
In an interview with filmindonesia.or.id, Udin stated that he took years to conduct research for the film. “People often perceive that research for a documentary revolves around data, such as the total population, the village’s height – it’s actually more than that,” Udin said.
The film's production took four years and post-production took 18 months prior to its release, as quoted from the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry website. The documentary was supported by cultural center Goethe-Institut Indonesien, the Jakarta Arts Council and Ford Foundation.
Born in Aceh, Udin was among the finalists of the 2005 Eagle Awards, a documentary competition. He also directed the award-winning 2016 short documentary Bangkit dari Bisu (Rising from Silence). (wir/wng)
