Gimbal
– Sidiq Ariyadi
This documentary focuses on a farmer, Sutrisno whose daughter, Alya, has dreadlocked hair. The documentary offers a close portrayal of people’s beliefs that a child with dreadlocked hair comes from supernatural ancestors who follow the child. This film follows a family and their run up to a dreadlock haircutting ritual and the negotiations before the event. The director sensitively shows how Sutrisno, as the head of the family, works hard to fulfill his daughter’s request to complete the ritual.
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Sidiq Ariyadi is a young documentary director from Indonesia, with a passion for observational documentary. He prefers to show events directly, rather than tell them and focuses on how people and culture as two subjects entwine. He also just graduated from the Jakarta Institute of Arts in Film and Television, majoring in documentary filmmaking. The documentary “Gimbal” was his final project before graduation. It has been selected for screening at the SEA short film Festival and was a finalist in the Lift-Off Sessions.
We made this film because the contents of the story are very close to our lives. The story is set in a location where we grew up, so we easily understand and relate to the cultural problems of dreadlock kids and their connection to the economy of the people who live within this culture. And for us, this cultural story merits being shared with others because it can remind of the way cultural practices sit within economic life. We hope that this film is helpful in letting people know about these practices in Indonesia.
Widianti Puspamurti is a young film editor who has just started her journey in documentary film making. “Gimbal” was her first project. She has just graduated from the Jakarta Institute of Arts in Film and Television and is now working at a production house in Jakarta.
