1 April 2024, The Hague, The Netherlands — A selection of documentary film projects on human rights and social or environmental issues was chosen to take part in Movies that Matter’s Take on Film & Impact 2024 in The Hague, Netherlands. In this year’s edition, a total of ten documentaries selected engaged in both group and individual coaching sessions guided by impact producers and strategists to further develop their impact goals and strategies for their films.
Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR), in collaboration with Komunitas Film Kupang (KFK), presents their in-development project from Indonesia, To An Ending Unwritten directed by Manuel Alberto Maia. This documentary extends the social analysis project initiated by AJAR in 2022, exploring the experiences of youth and atrocity survivors across five Indonesian cities. Filmed concurrently and with active survivor community participation in Yogyakarta, the film weaves together stories of second and third-generation survivors of the 1965-66 atrocities with experiences from generations of refugees in the temporary camps in Kupang, impacted by the 1974-1999 Indonesian occupation of East Timor.
From 24 to 26 March 2024, AJAR and KFK presented their project and impact plan to a panel of impact producers, distributors, sales agents, NGOs, and other organisations aligned with the film’s outreach goals. This presentation followed a consultation process begun in January with impact producers Hasse van Nunen and Irena Taskovski, who provided guidance and expertise.
A total of five awards were handed out to the participating teams after the panels and pitches – in which the ESoDoc Rough Cut Mentoring Award was given to To An Ending Unwritten. The production team will receive one-to-one mentoring sessions with an ESoDoc expert (with Sabine Bubeck-Paaz, commissioning editor of award-winning films including Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing) and will get access to online screenings over the year.
Throughout the festival, the team also had access to industry panels and workshops for film professionals from all over the world, NGOs and funds focused on creating impact with human rights films. Other Indonesia representatives also showcased projects and impact plans through the In-Docs delegation: Balek ke Jambi, The Island of Leaving, Planet of Love and Teguh. In other parallel programme, Cinema Without Borders brought together organisers of international human rights film festivals, where participant representing 100% Film Festival from Indonesia also attended the five-day workshop.
AJAR and KFK’s participation in this programme and festival is kindly supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of Indonesia through Dana Indonesiana, and the Dutch Embassy in Indonesia.