Senora Jacinta
She was one of the reasons why we grew to love Oecusse. The little East Timorese enclave inside Indonesia had fabulous beaches and brilliant sunsets and the best grilled fish in the world. But only if you knew Senora Jacinta. I still remember how she did them – stuffed with air manas, barbecued over a...
Unresolved
Passabe was where it all started for us. Until then, it was arguably the hardest thing we’d ever done. The river crossings, the one-mineral-water-bottle showers. Weeks on end in a tent, inside a broken-down house with no windows. That horrible ferry. Funding issues. Censorship. The moral dilemmas – it was the first time we’d come...
And The Saga Continues
The heading on the email read, “Censorship reform attempt in Indonesia”. It was a message from Lalu Roisamri, Programme Director of the Jakarta International Film Festival. I hope you still remember our festival, although it will remind you of a bad memory that your film was banned at our festival. Oh boy do we remember...
Milestones
East Timor votes for a new parliament today, it’s the 10th anniversary of the Hong Kong Handover tomorrow, and at 4pm on Monday, Homeless FC opens at the Hong Kong Arts Centre. If you haven’t already bought tickets, they’re available at URBTIX. Six screenings only. We’re not producing DVDs anytime soon and there are no...
Bout of Nostalgia
Photos from Passabe. Fragments that never made it into the film. Images to remind us we were there. Ruins, Passabe Village, February 2004The Indonesian army left behind a trail of destruction after Timor’s vote for independence in 1999. Burnt-out of skeletons of buildings dotted the village when we first arrived. Five years after the violence,...
Passabe Screenings in London
9th and 14th May. Organized by Tapol, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign. More info here. Read Tapol Founder, Carmel Budiardjo’s, very insightful article about justice, reconciliation and Passabe, here.
For the Record
Missing the world premiere was a painful decision for us, so it was nice to finally attend a screening of Aki Ra’s Boys. Nice to have a full house. Nice to see so many familiar faces in the crowd. Two questions were raised during the Q&A session. Questions, we didn’t have time to fully answer....
Timor in Trouble
The Timor we know is poor, sometimes unbearably so. A place where despair and hope co-exist. A place deeply divided by a very troubled past. In newspeak, a country that’s tense but calm. Troubled but calm. That’s the Timor we know. Or rather, the one we knew. Because we’re told, things have changed. We didn’t...
Passabe – European TV Premiere
Passabe is scheduled for broadcast on ARTE Television in France and Germany this coming January. We’re thrilled to bits. “In numerous countries, ‘life’ rhymes with ‘war’ and the mourning that must be carried out in order to go on living. Thus, ARTE chose “Passabe” for its respectful look at the day-to-day difficulties encountered in East...
Ban Censorship!
Cold comfort to know that we’re not alone: Sat Nov 25, 2006 5:57 AM ET JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia has banned a documentary on the once volatile Aceh province from being screened at an international film festival on the grounds that it could disturb security, the festival’s organizers said. “The Black Road”, a documentary by...
Still BANNED
Our little film is apparently still way too controversial to show in Indonesia. The Jakarta International Film Festival just wrote to say that despite repeated appeals, the censorship board has refused to lift a ban on PASSABE, and two other films about Timor. Last year, we were told the authorities felt that our film would...
PASSABE – Sydney Premiere
Watch our film, help Timor! Dendy Cinemas and Union Aid Abroad APHEDA present a special charity screening of PASSABE. When and Where:11.00am, Sunday 10th September 2006Dendy Opera Quays More info here. All proceeds from the screening will be donated to APHEDA’s community development projects in East Timor.
