Synopsis
A film about Sako, an eccentric Indonesian man with Chinese roots. Sako is struggling with his past. He is traumatized because of the murder of his innocent father, who was one of the approximately half to a million alleged communists that were killed in the transition period to the Suharto regime in Indonesia in 1965. Sadly, this brutal period is still taboo in Indonesia and what makes it more painful for Sako is that during this time, he supported the responsible regime. To break the taboo and process his trauma, Sako went out with his camcorder and filmed people close to him and talked with them about their experiences related to this past.
Director's Bio
Machiel van den Heuvel started his film career at the University of Amsterdam where he followed a documentary course called POLDOX. This course had a huge impact on Machiel and because of this, he continued his film education and studied ‘Film Directing’ at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. At this Academy, he was seen as a filmmaker with authorship and so in essence, he is looking for stories and personalities that somehow reflect his inner life and also have a universal appeal.
Festival Selections
P.O.P. Academy Awards
European Independent Film Award
International Independent Film Awards
Royal Society of Television & Motion Picture Awards
European Cinematography AWARDS
New York Cinematography AWARDS
European Screen Awards
14th Social Justice Film Festival
Mumbai Indie Film Festival
10th Cambodia International Film Festival
Miami Independent Film Festival
23th Madurai International Documentary and Short Film Festival​
17th Accolade Global Film Competition
Calcutta International Cult Film Festival
19th International Festival Signs of the Night - Bangkok
L'Age d'Or International Arthouse Film Festival
DRUK International Film Festival
Five Continents International Film Festival
7th Art Independent International Film Festival
Tagore International Film Festival
12th Blow-Up International Arthouse Film Festival
Uruvatti International Film Festival
Port Blair International Film Festival
Košice International Monthly Film Festival
8th Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival
Black Board International Film Festival
Mannheim Arts and Film Festival
Pápa International Historical Film Festival
Stockholm City Film Festival
8th AegeanDocs International Film Festival
Crown Wood International Film Festival
Madras Independent Film Festival
7th FICLAPAZ - La Paz International Film Festival
Tripvill International Film Festival
Golden Sparrow International Film Festival
26th Hot Docs (The Doc Shop section Recommends)
Rome Independent Prisma Film Awards
Gona Film Awards
South Film and Arts Academy Festival
5th Changing Face International Film Festival
Indo French International Film Festival
PickurFlick Indie Film Festival
Liberty Film Awards
Hollywood New Directors
50th Visions du Réel (Media Library)
Pattaya International Film Festival
Amdabad Film Festival
RIFF
Indapur Film Festival
IndieVisions Film Festival
Sahasrara International Film Festival
12th Near Nazareth Film Festival
Rameshwaram International Film Festival
Spotlight Documentary Film Awards
Fusion International Film Festival - East Europe
DBIFF
9th Lift-Off Global Network: First-Time Filmmaker Sessions
Eurasia International Monthly Film Festival
Santiago Independent Film Awards
Experimental Forum
Makizhmithran International Film Festival
Black Swan International Film Festival
5th AAB Film Festival
Dreamanila International Film Festival
CIFF
Accord Cine Fest
WFC Singapore
Freedom Film Festival
WUIFF
Rohip International Film Festival
BCA International Film Festival
5th Luleå International Film Festival
Golden Horse International Film Festival
Sarvin International Film Festival
Thilsri International Film Festival
Athvikvaruni International Film Festival
Tamizhagam International Film Festival
Gangtok International Film Festival
Shashin International Film Festival
Knight of the Reel Awards
Santa Dev International Film Festival
Mokkho International Film Festival
Hodu International Film Festival
Jaisalmer International Film Festival
Indo Singapore International Film Festival
Poombukar Independent Film Festival
Harshika International Film Festival
Tekka International Film Festival
Sittannavasal International Film Festival
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Awards
Nominees
Nominee JEAN LUC GODARD AWARD
Nominee Golden Dragon Awards (Druk International Film Festival)
Nominee Best Feature Film (Asian Cinematography AWARDS)
Nominee Best Director (Asian Cinematography AWARDS)
Nominee Best Feature Documentary (New York Cinematography Awards)
Nominee Best First Time Director (New York Cinematography Awards)
Nominee Best Feature Documentary (Alternative Film Festival)
Nominee Best Feature Documentary (Mumbai Indie Film Festival)
Nominee Best Feature Documentary (Miami Independent Film Festival)
Nominee Best Feature Documentary (Five Continents International Film Festival)
Nominee Wildcard Competition (Changing Face International Film Festival)
Nominee Best Feature Documentary (Calcutta International Cult Film Festival)
Nominee Pigeon D'or Award (L’Age d’Or International Arthouse Film Festival)
Nominee Best Feature Documentary & Editing (Fusion International Film Festival)
Nominee Best Documentary Film (P.O.P. Academy of Excellence in Cinematic Arts)
Nominee Best Experimental Film (Pápa International Historical Film Festival)
Nominee Sun Of The East Award (Tagore International Film Festival)
Nominee Golden Galaxy Awards (Virgin Spring Cinefest)
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Winners
Winner Best Motion Picture (P.O.P. Academy Awards)
Winner Platinum Award (European Independent Film Award)
Winner Award of Excellence (Cinema World Fest Awards)
Winner Platinum Award (European Screen Awards)
Winner Silver Award (International Independent Film Awards)
Winner Critic's Choice Award (Gangtok International Film Festival)
Winner Critic's Choice Award (Mokkho International Film Festival)
Winner Best Documentary & Dutch Film (European Cinematography AWARDS)
Winner Golden Merlion Award, Best Feature Documentary (WFC Singapore)
Winner Best Feature Documentary & Editing (Top Indie Awards)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Rome Independent Prisma Awards)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Rameshwaram International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Black Board International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Eurasia International Monthly Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (7th Art Independent International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Sittannavasal International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Indo French International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Santiago Independent Film Awards)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Sarvin International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Tamizhagam International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (DRUK International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Golden Horse International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Makizhmithran International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Virgin Spring Cinefest)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Tekka International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Indo Singapore International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Rohip International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (PickurFlick Indie Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Poombukar Independent Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Santa Dev International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Gona Film Awards)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Tagore International Film Festival)
Winner Best Feature Documentary (Liberty Film Awards)
Winner Best Director (Madras Independent Film Festival)
Winner Best Debut Director Feature (Accord Cine Fest)
Winner Best First Documentary (Stockholm City Film Festival)
Winner Best Debut Filmmaker Award (L’Age d’Or International Arthouse Film Festival)
Winner Best First Time Director & Editing Award (Asian Cinematography AWARDS)
Winner Best Debuts Award (Close:Up Edinburgh Docufest)
Best History Film Award (Mannheim Arts and Film Festival)
Winner Exceptional Merit Award (Docs Without Borders)
Winner Special Jury Award (Golden Sparrow International Film Festival)
Winner Special Jury Award (Uruvatti International Film Festival)
Winner Special Jury Award (Port Blair International Film Festival)
Winner Special Jury Award on Documentary Film (Tripvill International Film Festival)
Winner Outstanding Achievement & Best Director Award (Pattaya International Film Festival)
Winner Outstanding Achievement Award (Royal Society of Television & Motion Picture Awards)
Winner Outstanding Achievement Award (Knight of the Reel Awards)
Winner Outstanding Achievement Award (Cult Critic Movie Awards)
Winner Outstanding Achievement Award (WFC Singapore)
Winner Outstanding Achievement Award (Jaisalmer International Film Festival)
Winner Outstanding Achievement Award (Black Swan International Film Festival)
Winner Bronze Award (Spotlight Documentary Film Awards)
Winner Bronze Award (Latitude Film Awards)
Winner Best Editing In A Feature Film (South Film and Arts Academy Festival)
Winner Honorable Mention (Hollywood New Directors)
Winner Honorable Mention (Košice International Monthly Film Festival)
Winner Honorable Mention (Shashin International Film Festival)
Winner Honorable Mention (Experimental Forum)
Winner Honorable Mention (WUIFF)
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