On November 4, a film that was banned and then considered lost until 2023 will be screened at the SFU School for Contemporary Arts. The Peak spoke with artist and professor Chris Chong Chan Fui to learn more about the film and why it’s important to seek out banned movies.
Turang (1958) by Indonesian director Bachtiar Siagian points its focus at the Indonesian independence struggle against the Dutch, particularly from the perspectives of ordinary Indonesians. Chong connects the film’s subject matter to present day causes for social mobilization by expressing that “there are many forces today that try to keep ordinary people down,” like sky-high rent and normalized, institutionalized racism. The film highlights the theme of “getting together with your neighbours to fight for equality is a human instinct.”
This instinct for community reaches towards the constant battle for human rights Chong identified throughout Southeast Asia, where Turang and many other films continue to be banned. “Although it is easier for businesses and politicians to stomp down on artistic expression in Southeast Asia due to the massive class differences, sadly, this is a global infestation of selfishness and power grabs.”
Siagian was closely affiliated with Lekra, a communist movement in Indonesia, and thus was ordered to be exiled and his work banned inside the country by the authoritarian government of dictator Suharto. Contextualizing Turang in Southeast Asia, Chong stated that “archives have always been relegated to the past but we should not be so quick to dismiss what our histories and past experience can do to help guide our way into the future.”
Bunga Siagian, daughter of the filmmaker, will be in attendance at the November screening. The controversial content of the film is empowering to Chong. He stated, “if we felt lost in a society that is constantly trying to take advantage of us, wouldn’t it be nice to know that someone else has gone through the same thing in the past? I think I would feel more empowered and confident if I knew that I was not alone.”
“We are living in a time of fascism,” Chong lamented, “and the art of cinema is one of the strongest fighting tools we have.” It seems that cinema preserves historical injustice in full colour, and can provide an example for the present. The banned film series is a set of two free film screenings and discussions at the School for the Contemporary Arts. After Turang, To Singapore, With Love (2013), will be shown on December 2. Chong expressed enthusiasm that filmmakers from both works will be in attendance, “it is exciting to have the artists here so that we can all talk and form a community as a form of resistance.” He hopes that the series will give students space, respect, and a voice.
The conversation with Chong winded down with the sentiment that “students will always fight for knowledge and that includes banned films and the contexts behind them.” The series does important curating as it steers students towards an interest in politicized art and mobilizing their community.
Register for the screening on Wednesday, November 4, at 7:00 p.m., on Eventbrite.
