North American Premiere
Arief and Edi exchange photoshopped memories of Papua, constructing utopian re-imaginings of the land. Reflecting on their contrasting backgrounds from Java and Papua respectively, their modern archive serves as a touristic fiction of the region’s scenic landscapes, while exposing the ironic reality of existing conditions for the Papuan people under Javanese domination and military repression.
In Golden Island, a haunting figure looms heavy over the frame, underscoring the menacing truth that Papuans have not experienced a decolonized existence for decades.
Fransisco Edwardo Kamisopa
Indonesia/Singapore
2026
In Indonesian, Papuan, and Javanese with English subtitles
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Credits & Director
Producer
Rugun Sirait
Screenwriter
Arief Budiman
Cinematography
Arief Budiman, Aditya Krisnawan
Editor
Arief Budiman
Arief Budiman
Arief Budiman is an artist-filmmaker based in Yogyakarta who engages with speculative histories, public archives, and collective memory to uncover hidden and erased narratives. His works have received several awards, including Best Film at Vienna Shorts 2026, Special Mention at Syncro Film Fest 2026, Grand Prize – Short at DMZ International Documentary Film Festival 2025, Best Short Documentary at the Indonesian Film Festival 2023, and the Julius Baer Next Generation Art Prize in 2021. He is currently a member of two collectives in Yogyakarta: MES 56 and Piring Tirbing.
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