Turang - an Indonesian Film Forum screening
Schedule
Sun Mar 29 2026 at 01:45 pm to 03:45 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Anthology Film Archives | York, NY
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Indonesian Film Forum is proud to present the US East Coast premiere of Bachtiar Siagian's Turang (1957) - a seminal piece of Indonesian film history, rediscovered in 2023 after having declared lost for many years.Turang centers a love story between Batak Karo villager Tipi and Indonesian freedom fighter Rusli during Indonesia's fight for independence from Dutch colonial rule. It is a document of Indonesian post-colonial cinema that colors a world beyond the military-centric independence narratives we often see. Turang displays Bachtiar Siagian's neorealist streak and sincerity in telling the story of the Karo people, which also reflects his work as a member of LEKRA and the head of the 1964 Afro-Asian Film Festival - a film initiative stemming from the 1955 Afro-Asian conference in Bandung. A majority of Bachtiar Siagian's films remains unseen to the contemporary audience, as LEKRA members were exiled or imprisoned after the 1965-66 anti-communist purge and Suharto's presidency that emerged after.Turang was screened at the 1958 Afro-Asian Film Festival in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and was considered lost due to the Suharto regime's repression of leftist and neorealist art. In 2023, the film was rediscovered in the Gosfilmofond archive in Moscow, Russia, thanks to research and discovery efforts by Bunga Siagian, curator/researcher and daughter of Bachtiar Siagian. Turang was then screened in Desa Seberaya, where the film takes place, and then screened at the 2025 International Film Festival Rotterdam. Turang continues to be screened in free community screenings across Indonesia.“Leftist filmmaker Bachtiar Siagian’s long-lost film Turang is one of several post-independence Indonesian films depicting the independence struggle against the Dutch. Unlike other films that mostly center on the military sphere, this film highlights the crucial role of ordinary people in liberation struggles. Set in an indigenous Karo community, the film depicts, in neorealist style, the people’s land, traditions, and unwavering determination for freedom.“Rusli, a people’s militia leader, was on a mission with a Karo man when Dutch troops confronted them. Severely injured and unable to continue the journey, Rusli’s comrades hide him in Seberaya village, located on Dutch territory. Tipi and her father, the village chief, are entrusted with his safety and recovery. From that risky circumstance, the film shows the ordinary lives of the villagers, their genuine solidarity with the freedom fighters, a blossoming romance between Tipi and Rusli, and the difficulties brought about by the raids of the Dutch army.“Turang is an important archive of the left regarding decolonization. History has seen how third-world nationalist elites and military regimes have hijacked national independence, and Turang expresses a call to recognize and restore national sovereignty to its rightful owner: the people.”– Bunga Siagian, curator, researcher, and daughter of Bachtiar SiagianTurang, 1957, directed by Bachtiar Siagian | Indonesian and Karo with English subtitles | 94 minutesThis screening will feature a video introduction by Bunga Siagian.
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Where is it happening?
Anthology Film Archives, 32, 2nd Avenue, New York, New York, 10003, United States, YorkEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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