Denok & Gareng
INDONESIA / 2012 / Indonesian / Color / Blu-ray / 89 min
Director, Script, Producer: Dwi Sujanti Nugraheni
Photography: Kurnia Yudha
Editing: Gregorius Arya Dhipayana
Sound: Abdi Kusuma Surbakti
Co-producers: Susann Schimk, Jörg Trentmann
World Sales: credo: international
www.denok-gareng.com
Denok fled her home at 14, and after becoming pregnant met and married Gareng. The young couple left the big city to live together in the home of Gareng’s family, beginning anew by starting a pig raising business. They worry about the challenges that confront them one after another—Gareng’s father’s disappearance and the debt he leaves behind, as well as the discipline and school fees of their children. Nevertheless, the family discusses their problems thoroughly, deciding upon unique ideas to keep going. Though serious fights are inevitable, their household is tied together by a strong bond, and an atmosphere brimming with optimism.
[Director’s Statement] Personally, I have learned a lot from Denok and Gareng’s life—their spirit to love, how they accept and face the problems that continue to come their way, and their courage in laughing about themselves and their lives. Not many people have that courage. Daring to laugh at oneself means to look at one’s own life from greater distance. That’s why I admire Denok and Gareng. I believe their daily life-struggle should be seen. Their courage should be shared through a film that portrays them carefully and sincerely. I want to place Denok and Gareng into the center of our perception, because their existence is hardly looked at when we pass by.
Dwi Sujanti Nugraheni
Dwi Sujanti Nugraheni was born and raised in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. She studied Political Science at Gadjah Mada University and worked for several NGOs (both local and international) before she turned to filmmaking. Since 2003, she has organized the Yogyakarta Documentary Film Festival and facilitates video workshops for adolescents and the local deaf community. She worked as an intern at Appalshop in Kentucky in 2007 and Women Make Movies in New York City in 2009. In 2008, she participated in the Cinema Capacity Building Program “Indonesia—Ten Years After Reformasi,” proposed by the Goethe-Institut Indonesien and The Jakarta Arts Council. In 2012, she participated in the IDFA Summer School. Her new documentary project Our Daily Bread is now in pre-production.
Interview