{"id":209365,"date":"2025-02-05T14:16:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T13:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/?p=209365"},"modified":"2025-02-05T14:17:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T13:17:28","slug":"blog-interview-iffr-ambassador-kristel-interviews-timoteus-anggawan-kusno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/blog-interview-iffr-ambassador-kristel-interviews-timoteus-anggawan-kusno","title":{"rendered":"IFFR ambassador Kristel interviews Timoteus Anggawan Kusno"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Indonesian programme at IFFR 2025: Reclaiming histories, Reimagining futures<\/em><\/strong>. History isn\u2019t a single truth, but a multiplicity of voices and power dynamics. Art and storytelling let us navigate these histories without being trapped in one singular reality.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Indonesian programme presents a compelling selection of films that navigate Indonesia\u2019s complex histories, diverse cultural expressions, and ongoing dialogues of decolonization. Through cinema, these filmmakers are reclaiming narratives that have long been culturally explored, offering audiences a fresh perspective on Indonesia\u2019s past and present.

In this interview, Indonesian filmmaker Timoteus Anggawan Kusno explores how colonial history shapes personal and collective memory. Through archival materials, interviews, and re-enactments, he creates a space where history is not just recalled but actively questioned and reimagined.

Your films engage deeply with Indonesia\u2019s colonial history and its lingering effects on cultural memory. How do you see your work contributing to this ongoing dialogue?<\/em><\/strong>
Timoteus:<\/strong>\u00a0In Indonesia, colonial history is both present and unspoken, deeply embedded in traditions and national identity. Some narratives remain silenced, while others resurface through art. My work seeks to reconstruct and reinterpret these histories, finding what is absent, what is outside the frame, and how power shaped what was recorded. I look beyond the visible to uncover the untold perspectives.

How do you balance artistic intuition with research?<\/em><\/strong>
Timoteus:<\/strong>\u00a0That\u2019s a great question. My process starts with extensive artistic research, gathering data, visuals, and historical accounts. Once I have all these perspectives, my intuition guides how I navigate them, drawing from my own experiences. I search for \u2018blind spots\u2019, for what is missing in the archives. It\u2019s not just about what is there but also about what isn\u2019t, what was deliberately left out.

Do you notice a difference in how your work is received in Indonesia versus in the West?<\/em><\/strong>
Timoteus:<\/strong>\u00a0Absolutely. Different histories shape different perspectives. The way colonial history is taught in Indonesia is very different from how it is framed in the Netherlands, for example. History is not a single truth, it\u2019s a web of perspectives, pain, and nostalgia. My goal is not to present one definitive view but to embrace the multiplicity of voices and experiences.

What led you to choose film as your medium?<\/em><\/strong>
Timoteus:<\/strong>\u00a0It started early, my father had a darkroom, and I grew up watching films in his video rental store in Sumatra. That exposure to images and storytelling stayed with me. But it wasn\u2019t until I encountered alternative historical accounts, like Pramoedya Ananta Toer\u2019s banned books, that I realized history isn\u2019t fixed. It\u2019s contested, reshaped, and complex. That realization led me to explore history through visual storytelling, not as a fixed narrative but as something fluid and multifaceted.

Is there a particular work that was a turning point for you?<\/em><\/strong>
Timoteus:<\/strong>\u00a0I see my practice as a continuous process rather than a series of milestones. But my recent project,\u00a0Afterlives<\/strong>, commissioned by the Rijksmuseum, was significant. Working with colonial-era portraits and war artifacts, I documented the entire research and installation process. This turned into a film, allowing the discussion to continue beyond the exhibition. It wasn\u2019t just about the objects, it was about their lingering presence and the stories they still hold.

How do you see the discussions around colonial history evolving in the Netherlands compared to Indonesia?<\/em><\/strong>
Timoteus:<\/strong>\u00a0I appreciate that the discussion is open here in the Netherlands. But I also believe it shouldn\u2019t be confined to national identities. This is a human history, one that affects everyone. That\u2019s why I founded the Center for Tanah Runcuk Studies, a fictional institution that creates space for open dialogue, free from rigid structures. It allows us to design a shared present, rather than reinforce old power dynamics. Every dialogue, every encounter shapes my perception. The Center is meant to be fluid, a place where ideas flow freely without attachment. I want to create a space where people can engage with history in a personal, unrestricted way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through his films, Timoteus Anggawan Kusno challenges us to see history not as something fixed, but as a living dialogue, one that invites us to question, reimagine, and reclaim our collective memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there are many more films in the IFFR Indonesian programme. Here are some recommendations that align with the exploration of Indonesian cultural history, traditions, independence, archival materials, and the national historical impacts that create a deeper dialogue around complex nostalgia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n