Short Film Di Bawah Langit Timur Tells Story of Love for Homeland from Papua's Interior

The spirit of struggle, hope, unity and love for the homeland is conveyed through the short musical film Di Bawah Langit Timur. The film, which draws its story from the interior of Papua, was presented to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia. Set in Wamena District, Papua Pegunungan, the film directed by Abet Fahmi follows the journey of Libo, a Papuan child from the interior, to a flag ceremony. Libo’s journey serves as a gateway to explore stories of struggle, hope and love for Indonesia while presenting an eastern perspective on the meaning of independence. Abet said Papua was chosen to demonstrate the breadth of stories about Indonesia. ‘I chose Papua because I wanted to show that Indonesia is as vast as the stories we have. Papua is not just about a beautiful place, but about the people and stories there that deserve to be heard,’ he said on Saturday (15/8/2026). According to Abet, the people and life of Papua are important elements in the film. He also deliberately selected the lead actor from the Papuan community living in the area to keep the story’s character natural. ‘When I wrote this story, I did not know them. I wanted the person playing this role to be a native Papuan child who actually lives there,’ Abet said. He noted that a challenge during production was shifting the cast’s habits from previously creating content to acting as characters. However, their spontaneity and natural character were retained as a strength of the film. Di Bawah Langit Timur carries the message that Indonesian unity does not have to erase the identity and diversity of each region. Abet hopes the film can invite audiences to see Indonesia as a shared home built from many cultures, languages, traditions and stories. ‘I hope we can increasingly see Indonesia as one unity without feeling we have to be the same. We may be different, with our own stories and cultures, but we still have the same home,’ he said. In addition to the film, the message is reinforced through an original soundtrack titled Fajar Indonesia, composed by Sastro Adi. Sastro said the song draws from the Mantra Mukaddimah Fajar Indonesia and blends values and philosophies from various regions across the archipelago. The lyrics of Fajar Indonesia also highlight several cultural values, including Sipakatau, Sipakalebbi and Sipakainge from Bugis-Makassar, Memayu Hayuning Bawana from Java, Silih Asih, Silih Asah, Silih Asuh from Sunda, and Dalihan Na Tolu from Batak. Sastro said the creative process for the song unfolded organically over about eight days. According to him, the nationalism conveyed through the song stems from a personal awareness to love and serve Indonesia. ‘I have never expected anything from Indonesia. Instead, I hope for myself to always be given the awareness that loving Indonesia is the purpose of my birth. Full stop, no comma.’ Executive Producer Ulta Levenia said the film is presented as a creative offering for the 81st anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia. The film is expected to open wider space for stories from various regions that have not been widely heard in the national creative industry.