Basuki Resobowo and Leftist Subject’s Agency in Indonesian Cinema

Max. 20 participants, workshop languages English & Indonesian

In order to register, send an email to kerjakelola@gmail.com

Terimalah Laguku (Accept my Song)
Djadoeg Djajakusuma, Indonesia 1952, 84 min., Indonesian with English subtitles

Basuki Resobowo (1916–1999) was a left-wing painter, an art director for film, and the official representative of LEKRA (Lembaga Kebudayaan Rakyat, The Institute for People's Culture). Yet, political turmoil in 1965 forced him to live in exile; first in China, then Germany, before he finallysettled in the Netherlands. Although he was the art director of Indonesia’s first national film, 'Blood and Prayer' (Usmar Ismail, 1950), due to the impact of the Cold War, Resobowo’s contributions to Indonesian cinema have rarely been discussed. In this workshop, film historian, researcher and curator Umi Lestari aims to acknowledge Resobowo's impact by sharing her research on his agency in Indonesian cinema and how his ideas on art and film can be disseminated. The workshop will be divided into three sessions: alongside a presentation on Resobowo’s works and a discussion of his impact on cinema, there will be a screening of the 1952 film Terimalah Laguku (Accept my Song) directed by Djadoeg Djajakusuma, filmic proof of Resobowo’s ideas on how to visualize social class through mise-en-scene. 

Umi Lestari, a writer, curator, and teacher, is studying the histories and aesthetics of Indonesian cinema, and works as a lecturer at the Film Department, Universitas Multimedia Nusantara, Jakarta, Indonesia.