Kabar
Ubud Writers Festival 2009: Q&A with Vikas Swarup
As a novelist, Vikas Swarup made the kind of debut that goes beyond the wildest dreams of most budding authors; not only was his first book, Q&A, picked up by publishers across the world, it went on to become a multiple Oscar-winning blockbuster movie, Slumdog Millionaire. Next week Vikas will be in Ubud for the 2009 UWRF: Kabar caught up with him for a little Q&A in advance of the festival.
Ubud Writers Festival: The Countdown Begins
It is that literary time of year again in Bali: the 2009 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival kicks off on Wednesday October 7th.
Kabar asked festival founder/director Janet De Neefe what she’s particularly looking forward to this year: here she recommends her top 5 things to see at the festival.
Mengejar Ombak now in cinemas!
Mengejar Ombak, the award-winning documentary about Indonesian surfing sensation Dede Suryana, is on general release at Blitz Megaplex, Grand
Indonesia starting May 6, 2009, followed by Paris Van Java, Bandung, from May 13 onwards.
After the film’s success at the prestigious X-Dance Film Festival in
Utah, USA, winning awards for Best Emerging Filmmaker (for Dave Arnold and Tyrone Lebon) and Best Original Score, ‘Mengejar Ombak’ is finally hitting the big screen in Indonesia. The documentary feature offers a close and personal insight into the life of the young and talented Indonesian surfer, Dede Suryana (current Indonesian surf champion and 2-time Gold medallist at the Asian Beach Games). The film follows Dede as he embarks on his first serious season on the World Qualifying Series (WQS) – where he has been touted to become the first Asian to qualify for the World Championship Tour (WCT).
Wall Street Institute is giving away freebies with every ticket bought, and purchasers of 4 tickets or more are eligible for some great prizes from resort stays to Hurley gear. Spread the word!
FLOW (For Love Of Water) Screening in Ubud
Bali’s Green School (www.greenschool.org) organised a screening of the award-winning documentary FLOW (For Love Of Water). Intense and provoking, the film explores aspects of the global water crisis, from polluted tap water and contaminated bottled water in the US to the privatisation of water services in developing countries, which often excludes the poorest from access to clean water.
Producer Steven Starr has been working with students of the Green School over the past week, and described how impressed he was by the “enthusiasm for life” he found on the campus. In March, a group of Green School students travelled to the Global Issues Conference for EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Schools) to present their research on water issues in Bali. This ongoing work is set to become the basis for a documentary film on the subject later this year.
IHS Booklovers’ Lunch Fundraiser featuring Elizabeth Pisani
As a fundraiser to sponsor emerging Indonesian writers to attend the 2009 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, the Indonesian Heritage Society is organising a lunch with Elizabeth Pisani on April 7th in Jakarta. Pisani’s life as an HIV prevention researcher has taken her from the brothels of southwest China to the gay bars of Bangkok, and in Indonesia she has worked with the health ministry to map HIV risk. She will speak about her experiences and her book The Wisdom of Whores at the IHS lunch, in a talk entitled ‘Landscapes of Desire: sex, politics and AIDS in Indonesia.’
Funds raised at the event will be used to send two or more Indonesian writers to participate in the October festival, and also to fund 5 Indonesian readers, students and aspiring writers to attend.
For more information and to buy tickets (Rp.300,000), contact IHS at +62 21 5725870.
Jermal: A tale of a father, a son, and the isolation of a Malaccan fishing platform.
In the midst of the homogeneous stream of today’s Indonesian cinema, Jermal (released March 12) challenges the flow. A thoughtful portrayal of the relationship between a father and a son, it explores a classic theme given a unique twist by its setting: an isolated fishing platform, or jermal, in the middle of the Malacca Straits off North Sumatra.
The central character is Jaya, a 12-year-old schoolboy whose orderly life is dramatically disrupted when, after his mother’s death, he is sent to the jermal to be with his father Johar. Johar, a taciturn and solitary figure, is an escapee from the mainland with a past he is determined to reject. Snubbed by his father, Jaya is left to fend for himself in a tough new environment that transforms him from a naïve schoolboy into a hardened survivor.
Indonesian Surf Star Dazzles on the Silver Screen
Mengejar Ombak, the documentary about Dede Suryana, a young surfer from a West Java village who became an international star, has just won two awards at X-Dance Film Festival in Salt Lake City, a sports documentary festival that runs in conjunction with Sundance Film Festival.
Big congratulations to Jakarta-based director Dave Arnold – this has been a labour of love many years in the making, and all the hard work has resulted in an excellent and thoughtful film that explores the journey of a very special kampung kid thrust into the international surfing spotlight.
Click here to view the trailer and read the article about the film that Dave wrote for Kabar back in 2007. Premieres are planned soon for several locations in Indonesia – we’ll keep you posted!
Finding Michi
Just when you think you know Bali, another hidden gem is revealed… Michi Retreat is an experience unlike any other on the island, and it owes its charm to the life of a remarkable personality.
Zen in Vespas & Waves: Andrew Wellman
Avi Hazuria meets Bali-based pop artist Andrew Wellman.
Villa Sungai, Bali
The Villa Sungai experience: a luxurious, secluded, five-star resort overlooking the Penet river and surrounded by lush tropical rainforest
