EuroAsia Shorts 2023: Germany & Indonesia

​About EuroAsia Shorts:

Now in its 17th year (2023), EuroAsia Shorts (originally the Asian-European Short Film Showcase) remains a collaboration between a small group of Washington, D.C. embassies and cultural centers. Since 2006, the festival has presented more than 300 short films, including many award-winning shorts making their U.S. debut. Each year a broad variety of films and styles are presented, connected by a single theme. With post-film cultural Q&A’s and discussions with experts each night, EuroAsia Shorts offers an international cinematic dialogue that is uniquely Washingtonian.

The 2023 festival represents 10 countries: Austria, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Oman, South Korea, Spain, and the United States. Check out the EuroAsia Shorts website for more on each partner organization and our many cultural programs beyond EAS.

2023 Theme: Freedom from Themes

The theme (or lack thereof) for EuroAsia Shorts 2023 is Freedom from Themes. In other words, there is no single overarching topic, style, narrative thrust, or aspect of life that all films have in common on their own. By occupying a space outside traditional and tidy boxes of categorization, it is our intention that EuroAsia Shorts 2023 may illuminate indirectly a trend that often goes unnoticed: the consistent inconsistency of life and ourselves. If we no longer need to live in one place, take the familiar path, act a certain age, follow conventional thinking, love as we are told, or pursue one kind of work, what would we be? When we grasp that we do not, and indeed cannot, ultimately know what comes next in life, would we be free to see and think differently?

Films: Germany & Indonesia

​​​​​All films are subtitled in English. Some films contain content that is not suitable to viewers under 16 years of age.

Lalu, dir. Widya Arafah | 19 min. | 2022 | Indonesia

*The word lalu in Bahasa Indonesia means "past," "passes," or "then."

21-year old Dina, who is missing her father, gets a chance to feel her father's presence. But when she tries to convey her feelings to him, she runs out of time.

Hundefreund (Dogfriend), dir. Maissa Lihedheb | 18 min. | 2022 | Germany

A date takes an unexpected turn in this meditation on race, politics, and history in Germany.

Keripik Sukun Mbok Darmi (Madam Darmi's Breadfruit Chips), dir. Heri Kurniawan | 4 min. | 2012 | 4 min. | Indonesia

After missing her train, Madam Darmi meets an annoying stranger with a pack of Sukun (Breadfruit) Chips.

Muss ja nicht sein, dass es heute ist (It Doesn't Have to Be Today), dir. Sophia Groening | 7 min. | 2022 | Germany

Four friends are sitting at a square in Cologne Finkenberg, looking for the right words and punctuation marks for a text message to a girl, which will never be sent.

Mudik, dir. Andre Sugianto, Ardhira Anugerah Putra, Aditya Prabaswara, Calvin Chandra | 3 min. | 2017 | Indonesia

As city dwellers, we often forget the simple pleasures of watching life around us - often we are too absorbed in our gadgets. The road to our hometown becomes a time tunnel that eases us back into what we were supposed to be, human beings living life to the fullest, enjoying moments with our loved ones.

The film program (51 minutes total) will be followed by a moderated discussion. The evening will conclude with a reception of German and Indonesian refreshments.

Host or Publisher Goethe-Institut Washington