Indonesian director Garin Nugroho

Abstract

INDONESIAN DIRECTOR GARIN NUGROHO IN CONVERSATION WITH KINEMA YOGYAKARTA, a peaceful three-quarter-million Central Javanese city surrounded by picturesque volcanoes is not only renowned as a centre for tertiary education in Indonesia but it is also reputed to be the country's cultural capital. Just kilometres away, two fabulous historical monuments more than a thousand years old -- the Borobudur and the Prambanan -- attract tourists from all over the world to the region. But there is another side to this benevolent image. Thousands live in poverty there, among them many children -- the street children of Yogya. Their sad and often short lives became the focus of the Indonesian director Garin Nugroho's 1998 semi-documentary feature Leaf on a Pillow (Daun di atas bantal), "a discovery of the Cannes 1998 festival" (Positif), which won for the 38-year film-maker several international awards including Best Film and Best Actress for Christine Harkim...