In collaboration between Pusat Sejarah Rakyat, Five Arts Centre & Cinema Poetica, we are pleased to invite everyone to the special screening and discussion of the classic Indonesian neorealist film, TURANG (dir. Bachtiar Siagian, 1957, 87 minutes, with English subtitles).
Mark your calendar!
🗓 Date: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
🕣 Time: 8:30 PM
📍 Venue: Five Arts Centre, Level 9, GMBB, Kuala Lumpur
🔗 Limited seats available. Kindly register to join:
bit.ly/TayanganDiskusiTURANG
Film Synopsis:
Set in North Sumatra during the Indonesian war of independence, Turang follows Rusli, a wounded militia member, as he is hidden in a Karo village deep within Dutch-occupied territory. The villagers, led by Tipi and her father, risk everything to protect him. Against this backdrop of colonial violence, a romance blossoms, and the story unfolds as a powerful portrayal of solidarity, resistance, and the everyday struggles of ordinary people.
Presentation abstract:
Long thought to be lost, Turang was rediscovered in 2024 in the archives of Gosfilmofond, Russia’s state film repository. The film serves as a vital document of Indonesia’s decolonisation era amidst the contentious period of the Cold War. Selected to represent Indonesia at the 1958 Asian-African Film Festival in Tashkent, the film served as a cultural bridge between newly independent nations committed to Third World solidarity and the potentialities of Third World Cinema as a cultural movement. Celebrated as a monumental achievement in anti-colonial cinema, Turang embodies the spirit of collective empowerment and resistance. Through the presentation, we are tracing through the socio historical aspects of the film through the lens of Bachtiar Siagian, as an auteur.
Guest Presenter:
🎤 Adrian Jonathan Pasaribu (Co-founder of Cinema Poetica, ID)
Adrian is a film critic, editor, and researcher based in Indonesia. His writing has appeared in Kompas, The Jakarta Post, Berlinale Talents, and The Criterion Collection. He holds an MA in Film Studies from the University of Amsterdam & currently active with Jakarta Film Week & ArtsEquator's RADAR cultural censorship documentation project.
All photos courtesy of Bunga Siagian.
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Further info can be accessed via Pusat Sejarah Rakyat's Facebook Page:
Please do not hesitate to contact us should you need further information:
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It is a free and not for profit screening for educational purposes.
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