Bali has been famous for its massive tourism industry and unique culture for decades. The majority of its people rely on tourism as a way of life and raising the standard of living, which is still interspersed with ingrained religious ritual activities. Tourism attractions that always prioritize natural beauty and culture make Balinese people often dazzled and unconsciously glorify the culture that is believed to keep tourists coming.

As a Balinese and a filmmaker who was born and raised in Bali, creating content that tells the side of Bali with its people that turns out to be full of dark sides is not a wise footing because the average Balinese is afraid to look in the mirror and see the ʻbadʼ that might tarnish the image of Bali that is ʻbeautiful, peaceful and holy.ʼ

The irony is that there have been many word of mouth and even legal issues regarding sexual abuse that occurred in ʻsacredʼ environments by religious or spiritual leaders in Bali and seem to be hidden or become coffee shop chatter as bombastic gossip because they never really know how the victims of violence feel and still see these religious leaders as respected figures in the community.

This is a major factor in why sexual violence is still rampant in Baliʼs  “sacred” environments. There is a lack of awareness that this has happened and education about the dangers of sexual violence that can be committed by someone to anyone, regardless of gender and age.

Gender-based sexual violence can still be found in Bali and the perpetrators are still free to roam. Like a cult, these perpetrators gather a large number of followers. This makes the victims experience a lot of peer-pressure and systematic manipulation.

This background led me to submit a funding application to Voice Global. Supported by Kino Media Foundation, we aim to make a short film that functions as an educational archive that can be accessed for education about gender-based sexual violence in Bali and Indonesia. So that the people of Bali and Indonesia in general are aware and seek gradual solutions to this problem. I believe that this cannot be done quickly and it takes time, especially since it requires a grassroots movement between communities and related institutions in Bali.

When we received the grant from Voice Global, the first thing we focused on was creating an educational tool in the format of a fictional short film to strongly illustrate the circle that exists in an environment infected by traumatic sexual violence that is sometimes considered ʻnormal.ʼ The short film was written and directed by myself with the results of extensive research. Creating the screenplay itself was a challenge because I had to neutralize myself in order to get into the story without taking sides.ʼ I did this so that the film would not look like an overly direct public service announcement. Wrapped in a storytelling narrative about simple human psychology about control and power, I wanted the public to be able to contemplate more deeply than being dictated to in a straightforward manner.

I also use film production activities to be able to collaborate with film industry people who already have a clear basis for professionalism so that the film art community can get a transfer of knowledge and get multiple benefits. We get guidance from national producers, national cinematographers, veteran actors of the Indonesian film industry so that we in the region have time to absorb knowledge for the local community in Bali.

After this short film was successfully produced, we did distribution and publication. The film entitled “Where the Wild Frangipanis Grow” was closed screened in three areas in Bali, namely Ubud- Gianyar, Denpasar City and Singaraja. These three areas were chosen because of their very different community characteristics. From these closed screenings, we got a lot of input and new SOPs for handling a screening accompanied by a discussion on sensitive issues. In this closed screening, we got responses that were enough to provide new insights into mapping the issue of gender-based sexual violence.

Finally, the film had its world premiere at the 2023 Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, which was in line with our mitigation to spread the word of the film so that it could create demand for the general public in Indonesia. We also conducted a press conference to the media to provide space for this film to tour at some point, so that this film and its big project as artivism do not just stop. In addition, the film is also equipped with closed captions and audio description to reach a more inclusive audience.

This project has provided great benefits because it can reach the victims (who are mostly men) because they feel that someone is listening to their stories and sharing through this film because not many victims are willing to talk openly about the trauma they feel. We also received positive responses from our friends in the LGBTQ+ community in Bali and Indonesia, even internationally.

What I learned from this project is that recognizing gender-based sexual violence is complicated. Many layers are interrelated and force us to look again to find solutions in discussing this issue, especially in Indonesia.

From this project I am more courageous to tell stories about issues in Bali that need to be raised and reflected upon together because from movies or other artworks we can convey an issue more gently and reach victims with open arms.