In this article: Hersri Setiawan
Written by Airlangga Pribadi Kusman, and was originally published in Indonesia at Melbourne
Aug 04, 2016
Written by Airlangga Pribadi Kusman, and was originally published in Indonesia at Melbourne
Aug 04, 2016
On 18 May, the Faculty of Cultural Studies at Airlangga University in Surabaya notched up a small victory against decades of state propaganda about the events of 1965. It held a successful screening of the film Pulau Buru, Tanah Air Beta (Buru Island, My Homeland), by Rahung Nasution.
Screenings elsewhere had been cancelled (link is external) under pressure from religious hard-liners, military officials and university bureaucracies not yet ready to embrace freedom of thought and expression. More than 500 students from Airlangga and nearby institutions watched the film – under surveillance by intelligence and other state officials.
Why has this unassuming film caused such ripples? What is the significance of a few hundred students watching a film?
Read the full article here.