Winning Four Citra Awards at the 2023 Indonesian Film Festival, Director of 'WOMEN FROM ROTE ISLAND' Captures the Heartbreaking Reality Behind the Beauty of Rote

Kapanlagi.com - WOMEN FROM ROTE ISLAND successfully brought home four Citra Awards at the 2023 Indonesian Film Festival. The awards were given for Best Feature Film, Best Director of a Feature Film, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography Director.

Jeremias Nyangoen, the director and screenwriter, stated that the initial idea for the story came from real events in Rote. According to him, Rote is not as beautiful as its natural surroundings depict.

"Rote is beautiful, but not as beautiful as what we see. Like the problems of this nation, there are many social issues there, a high level of sexual harassment and murder in Rote," said Jeremias, who was recently interviewed at Empire XXI, Yogyakarta.

1. No Frills True Story

Director of 'WOMEN FROM ROTE ISLAND' Depicting a Painful Incident (Credit: Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival)

Although based on a true event, Jeremias Nyangoen did not make WOMEN FROM ROTE ISLAND a film with frills of a true story. Because there are some parts that he dramatized.

"If asked whether the story in this film really happened? Yes, it did, a hundred percent. But I'm afraid to claim it as a true story because there is one scene that never happened there. So I dare not say it's a true story. Something like that," said Jeremias.

2. Obtain Psychological Support

In the film WOMEN FROM ROTE ISLAND, there are scenes of abuse and violence against women. During the preparation and until the shooting was completed, Jeremias Nyangoen provided mental support to the actors.

"The casting process took a long time, almost three to four months, and I personally got involved. Finding the three main actors was not easy. It was only a week before rehearsals that we finally found the actors and they received psychological support. We monitored them, had conversations with them, and observed their progress," explained Jeremias.

(kpl/abs/tdr)