Object Reconnaissance — stefanos tsivopoulos

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Synopsis

Ratna "Merah Muda" Bakti, an Indonesian activist and feminist associated with the Gerwani movement, fled to the Netherlands in 1965 following the events of G30S Gerakan 30 September. Her story is recounted through her granddaughter Ria Bloem's perspective in the present day.

Ria delves into her grandmother's past by reading her letters, examining family albums, and watching homemade Super 8 films documenting her relocation to Amsterdam. Among these mementos, Ria discovers photographs featuring a mysterious ceremonial object held dearly by Merah Muda, yet the object itself is missing.

Intrigued by the object's significance, Ria embarks on a quest for its whereabouts, identity, and meaning. She sifts through public archives, films, photographs, and collections of Indonesian artifacts, gradually piecing together her grandmother's involvement in Indonesian politics during the 1950s and 1960s.

Throughout the film, the object serves as a multifaceted symbol, embodying mythical, cultural, historical, and mystical dimensions. It unveils sociopolitical events, cultural traditions, and metaphysical concepts and prompts discussions surrounding the repatriation of looted artifacts.

Object Reconnaissance employs a blend of cinematic imagery, found footage, and Super-8 film and is narrated by a female voice. It crafts a contemplative narrative imbued with emotional introspection and political urgency.

Object Reconnaissance is a fictional film inspired by long-term research on a series of archival films, artifacts, and objects from Indonesia found in the Tropen Museum, Amsterdam collections. More specifically, the film uses these materials as a mechanism of inquiry on colonialism and the politics in the 1950s-60s Indonesia that triggered waves of immigration to the Netherlands. The project investigates historical and contemporary global economic, political, and social crises through a personal story using fiction and facts.

Produced by Nóema Films

Co-produced by VRIZA Productions

Object Reconnaissance is generously supported by the Netherlands Film Fund / Mondriaan Fund—de Korte Verbeelding, the Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, and Cultuurfonds.

Duration 29:43