Media Release
17 January 2017
The internationally acclaimed film Lion, the true story of Saroo Brierley, an Australian adopted from India who used Google Earth to find his birth mother, will headline the Australian Embassy’s Festival Sinema Australia Indonesia (FSAI) at Jakarta’s Senayan City XXI, from 26 to 29 January.
The Festival will celebrate the talent and expertise of the Indonesian and Australian film industries and be opened by Mr Brierley, whose book A Long Way Home is the basis for Lion. The Festival will continue with screenings in Makassar 28-29 January and in Surabaya 4-5 February 2017.
The Festival will also feature Australian award-winning films Girl Asleep, Looking for Grace, Spear, Satellite Boy and The Ravens.
Internationally recognised Indonesian directors and Australian alumni Kamila Andini, Mouly Surya and Riri Riza will present their films Following Diana, What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love and Sokola Rimba.
This year’s Festival will also showcase the best emerging Indonesian filmmakers through the inaugural FSAI Short Film Competition. From the 300 films entered, six finalists have been chosen to compete for a chance to win a trip to this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival in August.
The judging panel comprises Kamila Andini, Australian award-winning director Jennifer Perrott, and Melbourne Festival programmer Thomas Caldwell.
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Paul Grigson said the Festival is a celebration of the thriving film industries in both Australia and Indonesia.
“Australians and Indonesians share a love of film as a way of expressing their hopes, dreams and challenges and both countries have dynamic industries and a wealth a creative talent,” Ambassador Grigson said.
Festival Sinema Australia Indonesia 2017 is supported by QANTAS, Screenwest and Prima Sinema Multimedia.
Click here for the Festival Trailer
Click here for tickets to the Festival on Eventbrite.com
More information about Australia’s screen industry
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