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On the radar: Newcomer Monica Tedja takes on social taboos in award-winning short
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One to watch: Monica Vanesa Tedja is an up-and-coming director who studied film directing in Germany. Her award-winning short film, 'Dear To Me', was created as her final master's project at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in Potsdam. (Courtesy of Monica Vanesa Tedja) (Personal archive/Courtesy of Monica Vanesa Tedja)
A
n emerging Indonesian filmmaker challenges social taboos and sparks conversation with Dear to Me, a short film about the inner turmoil of a young gay man who is vacationing with his devout Christian parents.
Monica Vanesa Tedja’s Dear to Me (2021) has landed the emerging director two nominations and one award, as well as accolades from several prestigious international film festivals.
The short film tells the story of a young gay man as he navigates his sexuality and his longing to meet his soul mate, during a holiday on a resort island with his more conventional parents.
"They say all our dreams have meaning. It's like our subconscious mind is trying to tell us something," says Tim, the protagonist in Dear to Me played by actor Jourdy Pranata.
The same could be said for filmmaking.
“There's one theme that keeps popping up in your head and you want to talk about it to people, but [the medium is] audiovisual," Monica explained.
"It's interesting that [when] I mean something, a conversation starts and a new theme or path [appears] from [other] perspectives. That's how rich films are, that it can also be a two-way dialogue," she said.
