Global Impact Film Festival 2018 - Living in Chains
From the standpoints of traditional healers in Indonesia, the documentary explores a banned practice of physical restraints or confinement upon a person deemed as mentally-ill.
Interview with the Chain Films team
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
It started with the idea of wanting to explore how societies still regard mental illnesses as taboo. As we came across articles about Pasung, the conditions of mentally-ill patients aroused our interest to explore this practice in Indonesia. Even though it is ‘banned’, efforts to eradicate the practice remains an uphill task.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I think no matter where you are, the topic of mental illness continues to be one that many find uncomfortable to talk about. By bringing people in on the practice of Pasung, we hope that the audiences do not only become aware of such a grave issue but also encourage them to reflect and initiate discussions on their own to eliminate this stigma.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Mental illness is a universal theme that we explored in our film. On a personal level, as Singaporeans, we feel a sense of privilege to be granted access to various mental health care services such as counseling or support programs. Intrigued by articles we found online about pasung practice in Indonesia, we began to do more research about the practice that is atypical in our home country.
In the beginning part of our research, we found online articles online that report on the pasung practice in Indonesia. Subsequently, we learned that the practice of shackling a person with mental illness also occurs in other parts of the world. Ultimately, as we embark on this documentary, our end goal is to promote acceptance towards mental illness with hopes to encourage a more caring and inclusive society.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Initially, we came in with the mindset that we want to portray how inhumane the traditional healers are in treating the mentally ill patients and how wrong their mindsets are. However, after getting to know the whole situation and talking to the traditional healers, we realized that we needed to give them a voice, and we believe that the problem doesn’t just lie with them, it’s the whole system, culture, infrastructure and economic situation.
Therefore, the documentary is a representation of our personal journey - at the beginning, we may feel that the traditional healers are absurd and they are wrong, but slowly throughout the documentary, we realize that they actually have good intentions but the problem is too complex and they are not solely the ones to be blamed.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We have fortunately been receiving positive responses on how it prompted several people in our audience to start thinking or find out more about it. Our film has also been selected to screen at several international film festivals and won Best Documentary at National Youth Film Awards 2018. We are truly grateful to have received the support and recognition for making this film and we do hope, with this reach, it helps to alleviate the situation in one way or another. At the same time, Club HEAL has picked up our story from the local newspaper Berita Harian (Singapore), and they wanted to do more to help the pasung victims. Therefore, volunteers from Club HEAL have collaborated with us and traveled to Indonesia to meet up with the traditional healers to see how they can fill the gap. Hopefully, if the project goes well, funds will be sent over together with volunteers to help in building better infrastructure to help the situation there.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It hasn’t challenged our point of view because a lot of people share the same sentiment, which is the traditional healers are not to be entirely blamed, and it’s a much complex problem to solve. Instead, we are so immensely grateful to know that there are kind-hearted individuals who are willing to step in and offer help to the people in Indonesia. For us, it is a form of closure for us knowing that the issue we brought up is being given attention and that the places we visited will receive help.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We hope to share knowledge and to be able to spark a conversation around the themes of mental illness. We look forward to collaborative efforts in making the world a better place for all. We are hopeful in creating greater awareness of the harsh realities that people go through beyond our comfortable lives, and develop a sense of gratitude for the available mental health care around us. At the same time, we do hope to educate the audience on the cultural complexity of other countries, to inspire and provide a helping hand to those who are not as privileged as us. Any kind of support, be it financially or word-of-mouth, would help to spread an important message to the world.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
As our documentary topic tackles human rights issue, we hope to continue to distribute our film to various international film festivals. We hope film festival directors would take notice of our film and select our work as part of the festival screening. With more exposure, we hope to be able to shine a light on such practice in Indonesia and initiate a better change. Even though the pasung practice may already be brought to light within their country, we aim to also show that combating the stigma surrounding mental illness requires a whole country’s effort, and, at the same time widen their eyes to notice that such acts against the mentally ill are not justified.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The film should make the audience reflect on the stigma of mental illness depicted in the film and be aware of the Pasung practice in the rural side of Indonesia. The audience who are from developed countries should reach feel the need to help or to reach out monetarily or socially to voice their opinions of this stigma. Given this age of globalization and the modern era, it might be shocking for audience to know that backward practices still occur in some parts of the world. Even so, human rights violation among people with mental illness is not an uncommon occurrence that many are still unaware of.
Apart from raising awareness that such a practice still exists, the documentary serves to remind the audience of the importance of every individual, even if they are mentally unsound, should be granted the right to receive proper treatment and get access to rehabilitation.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Why is mental illness regarded as a taboo? What does it take to change the perception of people about mental illness?
Would you like to add anything else?
We would like to thank everyone who has made this documentary happen. Thank you, friends and families, for believing in us. Not to forget, our FYP supervisor, Ms. Nikki Draper, who has given us the support and advice we need from the very beginning.
Last but not least, a big THANK YOU to Jogja, Feel the Reel, Global Impact, Queen Palm, The Smalls film festivals for selecting our film as part of the screening. Thank you for bringing the important message across to the audience.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Currently, volunteers from Club HEAL are working on Project Unchain, an initiative where they will gather funds to help build better infrastructure for the social homes featured in our films. (For example: Build a fence around the premises, build better rooms) The traditional healers have agreed that with better infrastructure and help coming in, they will unchain the patients as they would not have to worry again about the patients under their care running away.
Interview: September 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Living in Chains
From the standpoints of traditional healers in Indonesia, the documentary explores a banned practice of physical restraints or confinement upon a person deemed as mentally-ill.
Length: 15 minutes
Director: Nur Humaira Sajat
Producer: Atikah Hasimen
Editor: Ria Chia Cai Yun
Director of Photography: Kannan Vijayakumar
Biography:
NUR HUMAIRA SAJAT developed a passion for documentaries through her course of study in Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. She channels her passion for broadcast and filmmaking to tell stories that matter. She loves challenging herself and explore topics that push beyond her comfort zone.
ATIKAH HASIMEN is a producer for Living in Chains. She develops interests in real-life stories to expose herself to different viewpoints with hopes to shine a light on social causes. Atikah actively practices Malay traditional form and contemporary practice. Presently, she serves in the publicity team at Azpirasi (2000-present). Atikah has produced a site-specific work and performed in several dance productions both locally and overseas.
KANNAN VIJAYAKUMAR is an IMDA Scholar who has directed, written and creative produced several Mediacorp Vasantham Dramas, short films and commercials. He has also directed music videos for popular, homegrown international artistes Shabir and Suthashini. Notably, he had spearheaded THIRAI, a Tamil short film festival featuring young directors from Singapore, Malaysia and India in 2014 and 2016.
Facebook: The Chain Films
Instagram: @thechainfilms
Funders: Indiegogo Funders, IMDA Grant, WKWSCI Grant
Made in association with: Wee Kim Wee School of Information and Communication
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? We are lucky to have our film selected to screen in several international film festivals such as Jogja IFF, Global Impact, Queen Palm IFF and Feel the Reel IFF. It will be screened at The Smalls Film Festival which will be running from 7th to 10th September 2018 in London.