Bachtiar (2025)

Considered one of the greatest Indonesian filmmakers active before the nation’s independence, and a prominent member of the Communist cultural movement in Indonesia, Bachtiar Siagian was imprisoned for 12 years following the political upheavals of 1965 and never directed another film. In this cinematic essay, Hafiz Rancajale traces Siagian’s erased presence through archival materials, personal accounts, and interviews, seeking to unearth the contributions that were systematically buried in the aftermath of 1965.