”Fatherland” with Melani Budianta & Riri Riza

Inviting you to confront stories of ‘home’ and the meaning of a German nation differently.

At the GoetheHaus Jakarta, films are not only watched, but they are felt and find resonance. The premises have long been a space where audiences come to sit still in a city that never slows down. Our long-standing tradition of film screening and discussion serve as an incubation not only for casual film watchers, but also directors of tomorrow. We are thrilled to include a special film screening in the series of programs which should mark the new era of GoetheHaus, a space that has always been a crossroads of languages, audiences, and encounters.
 
This special screening invites us to confront stories of ‘home’ and the meaning of a German nation differently, through the personal lens of a celebrated author, Thomas Mann (played by Hanns Zischler) and his daughter, Erika Mann (played by Sandra Hüller). Fatherland portrays the story of Mann’s first return to Germany after World War II and during the Cold War. A journey from Frankfurt to Weimar across the ruins of a post-World War II Germany, the film is an exquisite study by Pawel Pawlikowski on identity and family, filled with bitter exchanges, ironic humor, and remarkable sensitivity.
 
The evening will bring together two of Indonesia’s most respected voices in arts and culture, Prof. Melani Budianta and Riri Riza. Opening the program, Prof. Budianta will explore how literature can shape the imagination of a nation and how humanistic values endure through times of upheaval and transformation. Following the screening, celebrated filmmaker Riri Riza will reflect on the film and consider the role of cinema as an artistic medium that preserves collective memory, strengthens cultural identity, and contributes to the spirit of a nation.