In January 2023, Indonesian President Joko Widodo disclosed the findings of the investigation team regarding past human rights violations. He acknowledged 12 gross human rights violations. The worst were the 1965-1966 massacres of Communists where approximately one million people died in state-sponsored political violence.
Like many other nations, Indonesia has a troubled and violent past. One so overwhelming the majority of the population continues to feel the repercussions daily. In some countries, the medium of film has emerged as a key platform where the nation learns to come to terms with its past in a collective fashion. Indonesia is one of the least prepared nations to do so, despite having a long and rich history of cinema.
The importance of links between film and the history of the 1965-66 massacres, which gave rise to Indonesia's New Order regime under then-president Suharto (1966-98), cannot be overemphasised.
