Interviews
An Israeli in Indonesia
Etgar Keret is one of Israel’s most acclaimed contemporary authors, with particular appeal to the younger generations. His books are bestsellers in Israel and around the world, and have been translated into 22 languages. His short stories have been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Paris Review and Zoetrope. Over 40 short films have been based on his stories, and Jellyfish, a feature film he co-directed with his wife, won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2007. Catriona Mitchell met him at the 2010 Ubud Writers Festival.
Through a Glass, Darkly: John Stanmeyer
John Stanmeyer is one of the world’s leading documentary photographers. His book, “Island of the Spirits” documents the five years he spent living in Bali capturing images through a Holga lens; an exhibition and book launching is scheduled for December at the Ganesha Gallery in Jimbaran. In the meantime, here’s a 2006 interview with the photographer by John Douglas.
The Flying Photographer: Jez O’Hare
You’ve probably seen his photographs in magazines, perhaps in a coffee-table book on the Wallace Line or the Indonesian archipelago, maybe even in an advertisement for a high-definition television. They are those rare images that capture the essence of a place, showing us an aspect that is unique and rare; images that require not only passion, drive, planning, and courage, but also a piece of equipment that creates its own centrifugal force, called a gyro stabilizer, and a micro light aircraft. Jez O’Hare’s images from above inspire travel, exploration and poetry, offering us an escape into a world that we can’t quite make tangible and triggering a mind, heart and soul reaction of awe at the beauty of Indonesia.
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.
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!
Zen in Vespas & Waves: Andrew Wellman
Avi Hazuria meets Bali-based pop artist Andrew Wellman.
