Dekaden

Every Sunday in the month of October, starting on October 16th!

Film programs have been synonymous with Goethe-Institut Indonesien’s regular cultural work. Countless screenings, workshops, and discussions were organized in the 60 years existence of Goethe-Institut Indonesien, stimulating encounters and nurturing conversations for both filmmakers and audiences in Indonesia, especially in Jakarta and Bandung, where the Goethe-Institut are physically present. In 2012 Arthouse Cinema series was launched and gained its loyal audience in Jakarta and Bandung through screenings and discussions.

The German film festival called German Cinema - held regularly from 2012 – 2019 – is one of the Goethe-Institut’s flagship projects which guarantees German presence in professional cinemas in other cultural cities of Indonesia such as Yogyakarta, Denpasar, and Makassar, bringing the latest productions of the German film scenes to Indonesian audience. Embracing the digital culture in watching films, in 2021, the Goethe-Institut worldwide started to offer film programs on its own platform called Goethe-On-Demand, where the Goethe-Institut Indonesien have presented Arthouse Cinema’s program “New German Cinema: From the Gaps of History” curated by Anggraeni Widhiasih, German Cinema 2021: Daring, 100 Years of Joseph Beuys, and Kinofest 2022, all accessible for Indonesian audience during their dedicated time which each lasted generously for more than a month.

It is only appropriate that as part of 60 Years of the Goethe-Institut Indonesien, we present to you a unique film program dedicated to this particular art form, illuminating once more the characters of German films and their connection with the Indonesian audience, as well as (un)known personal stories that emerged from the film events we have done in Indonesia in six decades. We present Dekaden, a mini German film festival held every Sunday in October, starting October 16, only at the GoetheHaus in Jakarta.

Every decade has its own story to tell. As time passed, stories unfolded, and tales were reflected. Selecting a film that represents each decade is not, by any means, an easy task, yet still, we tried to capture a moment in time where it offers a unique opportunity to look back on the development in Germany as related to the developments in Indonesia without being reductionistic and repetitive: by showing different genres, highlighting outstanding directors, as well as films that have not been shown too often – offering everyone a shot to become more well-versed in German cinema.