Samsara directed by Garin Nugroho will open the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival which will take place from November 30 until December 7, 2024 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Samsara by Garin Nugroho – Indonesia | 2024 – 90 minutes

Bali, circa 1932. Samsara follows the story of a man from an impoverished family, Darta (Ario Bayu), who is rejected by the wealthy parents of the woman he loves, Sinta (Juliet Widyasari Burnett). He bargains with the Monkey King (Gus Bang Sada), performing a dark ritual to gain wealth and marry the love of his life, whose parents rejected his proposal because of his poverty and low social class status. After he gains wealth and eventually marries her, the deal turns out to be a curse for her and their son, where the son must be given to the Monkey King, and his mother has to breastfeed him and the other monkey infants periodically. Tragedy becomes a reality when the son reaches a young age and wants to return to the house to be with his mother, violating the boundaries between humans and animals. This is a universal narrative rooted in Indonesian mysticism about the insatiable hunger to be what one is not, and the boundaries one is prepared to breach to realize this. (JAFF 2024)

Screening Dates:
November 30, 2024 | Saturday | XXI Studio 1 | 8:00 pm
November 30, 2024 | Saturday | XXI Studio 2 | 8:00 pm
November 30, 2024 | Saturday | XXI Studio 3 | 8:00 pm
November 30, 2024 | Saturday | XXI Studio 4 | 8:00 pm
November 30, 2024 | Saturday | XXI Studio 5 | 8:00 pm

Trailer:

About the director:
A pioneer of New Indonesian cinema, Garin Nugroho works across film and live performance, negotiating his country’s and culture’s complexities through diverse filmmaking styles and artistic disciplines. His works range across films such as short films, ads, music videos, documentaries, theatre, performance art, and art installations. He is the recipient of various international awards, including the Order of Arts and Letters from France, Stella D’Italia Cavaliere from Italy, the Honorary Award from the Singapore International Film Festival, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival, and many more.

For more information, please visit: https://jaff-filmfest.org/