Two young film makers head to Australia

Two young Indonesian film makers will go to Australia in March next year as the inaugural recipients of the John Darling Fellowship.

The fellowship was established in the memory of Australian documentary film maker John Darling to support the new generation of Indonesian documentary film makers.

Dwi Sujanti Nugraheni, 36, from Yogyakarta and Chairun Nissa, 28, from Jakarta will travel to Australia in March next year to undertake a two-week intensive post-graduate course called “Thinking with a Video Camera” at the Australian National University in Canberra. They will also receive training in film marketing and distribution, and film archive principles and practice.

John Darling’s wife, Sara Darling, established the fellowship with the support of a committee, the Herb Feith Foundation and the Australian Embassy Jakarta.

“This is a rare opportunity to help these young film and documentary makers to enhance their skills. This course will expose them to new ideas and concepts in film making, but also provide valuable practical knowledge, experience and specialised skills,” Mrs Darling said. “John’s life was focussed on learning and teaching, so fellowship supporting young Indonesian filmmakers is a wonderful way to honour his life’s work.”

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty said the John Darling Fellowship would help broaden connections between Australia and Indonesia’s film and documentary industries.

“I want to congratulate both winners. The fellowship is a great opportunity for these two young film makers to further refine their skills, but it is also a celebration of John Darling’s life as a talented Australian who dedicated much of his career to Indonesia,” Ambassador Moriarty said.

Dwi Sujanti Nugraheni is the director of Yogyakarta Documentary Film Festival and program manager of the Indonesia Documentary Community. She has directed two documentary films and has another two in production.

Chairun Nissa is a graduate from the Jakarta Arts Institute and has made a number of short films and documentaries, including one screened at several international festivals. Nissa is interested in mixing fiction and documentary genres, particularly in relation to cross-cultural understanding.

John Darling lived for many years in Bali. His films have been screened around the world in cinemas and on television. His nine documentary films about Indonesia include Lempad of Bali (1978), Bali Hash (1985) and the 1987 Bali Tryptych series (Between the Mountain and the Sea, The Path of the Soul and Demons and Deities), and Below the Wind (1994).

Mr Darling’s last documentary, The Healing of Bali (2003), was made in the 12 months after the 2002 Bali Bombings and was co-produced with his wife Sara.

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