Best Indonesian documentary movies

In this chilling and groundbreaking documentary, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various film genres, from gangster epics to musicals. As they recreate their past atrocities, the line between reality and performance blurs, exposing the lingering impact of Indonesia’s 1965-66 anti-communist purge and the unsettling psychology of its perpetrators.

This documentary delves into the unanswered questions surrounding the trial of Jessica Wongso — years after the death of her best friend, Mirna Salihin.

Using performance to inspire critical reflection, Promised Paradise delivers fascinating and revealing insight into the social and religious undercurrents dominating Indonesian society today and the Muslim world at large.

Three experts of constitutional law uncover political instruments of power used to rig the democratic system at the 2024 Indonesian general election.

Help Is On The Way brings to the screen a busy training centre in Indonesia, that prepares women to work overseas as domestic workers. It is at times an emotional journey, but also funny, enlightening and a little competitive, offering a unique insight into a lifestyle not often seen on screen.

Jalanan is the captivating story of Boni, Ho and Titi - three gifted, charismatic bus musicians in Jakarta - and through them a mostly unknown story of contemporary Indonesia. Jalanan intimately portrays the young musicians' quirky sub-culture while also painting an alarming portrait of Indonesia's frenzied capital city that is raw, humorous and brutally honest. Jalanan accompanies the three characters as they perform songs of social angst, get caught in political unrest, face family crises and get locked up by police. It follows them to their distant home villages in Java and traces their elusive, heartfelt quest for identity and love in an adopted city rapidly being overrun by the effects of globalization. A powerful soundtrack of the musicians' original compositions drives the film.

Hellhouse is collective hiphop music that grows on the street of Wijilan area, an urban living society near Yogyakarta Palace. Hellhouse has blended with the hood for five years, and it initiates a non profit movement as a slide of loyalty to Wijilan for being the shade for Hellhouse.

Kaminah and Kusdalini, met as Indonesian political detainees in 1965, when both were on the cusp of adulthood. After being rejected by her hometown, Kaminah went to live with Kusdalini. Since then, they have been inseparable, living together in Surakarta, Central Java. Now, in their 70s, they survive on the kindness of their neighbours, and the crackers that they sell. Growing old hand in hand, You and I charts a delicate moment in time when the pair are faced with the heartbreaking realities of growing old.

Through the eyes of grandmother Rumidjah, a poor old Christian woman living in the slums of Jakarta, we see the economical changing society of Indonesia and the influence of globalization reflected in the life of her juvenile granddaughter Tari and her sons Bakti and Dwi.

An Indonesian documentary about the destructive impact of coal mining.

A documentary about the illustrious history of spice trade in Banda East Indonesia.

When a woman becomes possessed by an evil spirit, a team of horror-mystery journalists goes to the village that the spirit came from to try to free her.

"Pesantren" offers rare access inside an Islamic boarding school, and an insight into a traditional educational system that fosters good character-building based on a peaceful religious teaching that has been practiced in Indonesia for centuries. Raising their students to respect and to have compassion towards others despite their differences, these schools are Indonesia's last defense in the face of today's rising extremism.

Downfall is a feature documentary film (122 minutes) which the award-winning Australian filmmaker - John Pilger - described as “a big, raw, angry, often eloquent work in its imagery.” Pilger concluded: “The rawness is so interesting; you wield it as a weapon of the truth and persuasion, and the images you bring together, almost defiantly, are often painful to watch. Thank you for making the film and for keeping alive the hope of an Indonesia before 1965.”

During the 1965 mass killings to eliminate the Indonesian Communist Party, the new regime banned scholars in the Soviet Union and China, forcing them into exile across Europe. This documentary follows those displaced individuals as they navigate the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Sweden, Germany, and Indonesia, reflecting on the traumatic events that uprooted their lives.

Nokas, a 27 years old man has a simple dream that is to marry his beloved Ci, a Timorese girl who works in a slaughterhouse in Sumili, Kupang. It is not easy to marry a Timorese girl who due to the belis or dowry a man has to pay. The amount varies but it is never a bargain. Sometimes such tradition makes marriage sound like a business transaction which the women become merely an object. In addition Nokas has to get another fund ready for two wedding ceremonies in two locations. Hailing from a poor family Nokas has to make a strategy in funding the costly wedding ceremonies many problems emerge from such big issue like the dowry he has to pay to the parents to the issue of wedding dress. With observational approach this movie is depicting the efforts of Nokas’s family in fulfilling his wedding expenses.

Through the lens of faiths and cultures in seven provinces in Indonesia, this documentary follows individuals who strive to address climate change.

A documentary about Rita Matu Mona as one of the main faces of Teater Koma, and how she became a woman and a mother.

In Indonesia, in the Padang district, an open landfill site borders the forest. A landscape of precipitous terrain, with its crest lines and its chasms, serves as a pasture for several hundred cows. Amidst the dance of the diggers and trucks discharging their loads onto the slopes of a mountain of rubbish, a herd makes its way through the chaos, in search of something to graze. This nightmarish decor in which bovines live, copulate, play, sleep and die, becomes the scene of an appalling spectacle.

Untung and Nesti really love their 6 year old son who has autism. Their daily life becomes more challenging because both of their parents are disabled, but their love and passion is truly heartwarming.

In the forests of Borneo, Iber Djamal has been fighting large-scale deforestation around his village for decades. But at 77, and despite unwavering devotion, the struggle becomes more and more illusory in the face of the voracity of the agribusiness monsters. An urgent and tragically universal ecological fable.

Gede Robi, vocalist of Navicula, Tiza Mafira, lawyer from Jakarta & Prigi Arisandi, biologist & river guard from East Java in tracing plastic waste whose tracks have infiltrated the food chain & its impact on human health.

This split-screen documentary by a Malaysian director chronicles the shooting of the Indonesian film Gie (2005) in the middle of 2004, which is also when the country is undergoing its first direct presidential elections. Opinions from the cast, crew and extras of the film are sought on politics, filmmaking and the national myths of the past and present.

Will this really be the last round against corruption?

After the 2002 bombing in Bali, this documentary interviewed jihadists and victims. More broadly, it addresses the discourse on terrorism, jihad, Islam political movement, war on terror agenda, and how this discourse shapes the future of the children, both of perpetrators’ as well as victims.

A college student, a young female dancer, an orphaned adolescent, a rickshaw driver, and an eternal optimist all discuss the manner in which the 2004 tsunami set into motion by an Indian Ocean earthquake dramatically altered their lives in filmmaker Garin Nugroho's reflective documentary.

After a traumatic encounter, a young gay Egyptian joins the LGBT rights movement. When his safety is jeopardized, he must choose whether to stay in the country he loves or seek asylum elsewhere as a refugee. "Half a Life" is a timely story of activism and hope, set in the increasingly dangerous, oppressive, and unstable social climate of Egypt today.

Filmed by Indonesian workers during their working hours on rubber and palm oil plantations, this film exposes the devastating role of militarism and repression in building the “global economy.” Through chilling first hand accounts, hilarious improvised interventions, collective debate, and archival footage, the film explores the relationships between trade, Third World debt, and international institutions like the IMF and World Bank.

The poet Ibrahim Kadir plays himself in a political drama about his arrest and incarceration in Aceh in the 1960s. Kadir survived the mass murder of suspected communists by the Indonesian government that cost between 500,000 and two million lives.

Silence Heritage duration is about 4 minutes and it cut down into 1 minute. The director want the film to be black and white but the nature's calling for making it colourful.

Eleven years has passed, 16 villages are flooded by mud in Sidoarjo. Locals are forced to get used to the disaster and managed to create jobs on their own. They are selling the view of their drowned villages as tourist attraction and motorbike taxis to ride along the mud shore. Everyday, the motorbike taxi drivers shares their experience when the mud erupted and drowned their villages with the tourists.

In their five-year ongoing strike, the workers are still surviving and struggling to make ends meet. Deni Purba sells used clothes after being released from prison. Steven Yawan who still continues to speak loudly in the capital. Musyawir with his expertise in coffee tells the story of the brutal actions at the beginning of the strike.

Three generations of one family weather the challenges of living in modern-day Indonesia, the largest Muslim community on the globe.

Recording the journey of Raisa, a great Indonesian singer from childhood to her greatest achievements, holding a big concert at Gelora Bung Karno.

In the crystal clear waters off the coast of Borneo, a unique way of life threatens to disappear forever. For generations, the Badjao were oceanic nomads, living in harmony with the sea as fishermen and free divers. Nowadays, however, only a few Badjao remain, like Alexan, who still remembers the old ways. He hopes to pass his knowledge along to his ten-year-old nephew Sari, but time and opportunities are running out. Sari loves the sea, but it can only offer a hard life of subsistence fishing, while the nearby tourist resort sings a siren song of easy money.

A film director experiment and dreaming about his dream.

Tells the story of an aspiring singer from Bali who travels to Jakarta to find success. There she encounters the trappings of success; insincere boyfriends, materialistic impulses, fast friendships, empty sexual encounters. When a breakup causes her extreme heartache, she decides to travel back home to take refuge. Her journey becomes the foundation for a discussion about all things pertaining to women's issues.

Behind the dark history that still lingers in Indonesia, there are voices that never fade. Silent Thursdays takes us on a journey with two young individuals, Kak Virdinda and Kak Vebrina, active members of KontraS (Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence). Both have long been involved and vocal in supporting Aksi Kamisan, a movement that continues to fight for justice for victims of human rights abuses and the disappeared. With tireless dedication, they strive to ensure that the neglected voices are heard and the rights taken away by the state are restored.

A documentary film about the life of Gregorius Soeharsojo Goenito, an artist and former political prisoner in Indonesia.

This is a behind the scenes from the making of Endank Soekamti's 5th album Angka 8. Endank Soekamti was carantined 30 days during this recording session

This documentary was initially meant to give a chance to those who had not yet seen the musical “Untukmu Indonesiaku” by Guruh Sukarnoputra. The musical is shown here but not in its complete form. The director weaves the footage of the show with what happens behind the scenes, the rehearsals and also the process of creating the show. Guruh himself makes an appearance and tells how he learns the art of Bali. There is also footage of the beginnings of the Swara Maharddika group. The director reveals Guruh’s background and influences, including his father Bung Karno and Indonesia’s wondrous nature.

The people of Teges Village in Bali practiced Kecak Rina, a traditional dance they have never done before. Sardono and his colleagues came to the village as their mentors. The villagers were divided into groups. The atmosphere brings up unexpected emotions among them when the first rehearsal took place.

Bringing offerings of rice, flowers, and woven coconut leaves, clients visit Jero in her household shrine to determine the cause of their son's death. Jero lights an incense brazier, sprinkles holy water, and recites mantras as preliminaries to trance. Several ancestors and finally the young son speak through her voice, revealing the nature of his premature death (witchcraft) and his wishes for cremation. In contrast to other films about Balinese trance which focus on spectacular, community performances, this film provides an intimate view of a fascinating process of communication between Jero, the spirits, and her clients who are at one point moved to tears. (der.org)

Through first person narration, Tari reveals personal stories related to her decision to work in Taiwan, her strained family relationships, the risks involved in working abroad and the traps she has fallen into.

Semi-documentary film about the pilgrimage.

Semi-documentary film, about logging. Both the procedures and the problem of wood theft. Tells the love story between Parta, a logging officer and Anna, a nurse.

Amatir , is a Short Documentary Film, the process of making a film by a group of people who are still amateurs, starting from the pre-production process, the shooting process to a little entertainment by the cast.

The Sorceress of Dirah is an experimental performance event of Balinese dances and legends, developed by the Javanese performance artist and choreographer, Sardono W. Kusuma, and restaged over many years, working with a group in the village of Teges in Bali. Presented widely in Europe and the USA in the mid-1970s, a film version of The Sorceress of Dirah was filmed in 35mm colour by Sardono working in Bali in 1992 with American cinematographer/ director Bob Chappell. Sardono uses a voice-over in English to introduce the various stages of his drama, but does not subtitle the incantations and utterances of the participants, in order to subject the audience to the full impact of his drama, wherein language is subordinate to the hypnotic, near hallucinatory, and at times frenzied, spell of the images.