I have an aunt who, ever since I came out of my mother’s womb, has always been there. I consider her my second mom; she was the one who fed and bathed me when I was a kid. Unfortunately, she contracted Polio ever since she was a kid and an accident turned her situation even worse, almost paralyzing her left leg. Feeling indebted to her forever, I believe that the only way to “give back to her” is to assist her in walking every time we go anywhere together. She has a cane, of course, but to help her balance, she clinged on to me by holding on to my elbow. Whenever I return home to Jakarta, we always make time to visit Pasar Baru. It was her favorite place; she would browse the fabric shop (she was once a tailor) and buy medicine at the drugstore. The issue lies in the numerous steps she had to climb to actually reach the place, making it completely inaccessible for wheelchair users. To the point, it was too exhausting for her to actually explore the whole place.
When I discovered that Minikino Film Week 10 has their own inclusive cinema program, I tried to engage with it fully. Through this, I was exposed to a wide range of disabilities, which involved more in meeting the visually and hearing impaired. Then, a certain wave of realization hits me: how much of our everyday experiences—that perhaps many of us may take for granted—are often out of reach for people with disabilities.
Becoming the Liaison Officer for the Disabled
On the opening day for Minikino Film Week 10, I volunteered to be one of the LOs (liaison officers) for the disabled. Informed to me was the listed duty: accompanying the visually impaired guests from the entrance to their seats or to any other places that they need to go. The other task was to be ‘Kawan Pembisik’. It was simple, but still fairly new to me. As a ‘Kawan Pembisik,’ my role was to act as a guide, describing what was happening in front of us or on the screen. I narrated all significant events to the best of our ability, allowing them to utilize their own creativity and fully engage with the narrative. Although, keeping up with the foreign films was a bit tough on my part, considering that I had read the translation as well as describing what was happening.
For the whole day, I was both the guide and Kawan Pembisik for Pak Iwan. The MFW10 Opening Program ‘Short and Sharp’ with Sonja Rohleder’s Somni (2023) as the very first film. I started elaborating the 3-minute short; since it has no dialogue, it was practically easy for me to describe. “A little monkey floating in the air; the atmosphere was dark; it passed through several vines and plants.” Pak Iwan was nodding while listening to me. I apologized to Pak Iwan for my amateurish and terrible audio description, but he assured me that it was still very enjoyable for him. After that validation, I continued with my duty. The next film was Sukoun (2023) by Dina Naser. I was rushing through the dialogue, but my strategy was to summarize the conversations within two or three lines.
This is both an intriguing and embarrassing moment for me. The next film is called Black Rain in My Eyes (2023) by Amir Masoud Soheili and Amir Athar Soheili. It was a documentary that focused on the lives of civilians in Syria during the ongoing war. At around the 6-minute mark, I realized that tears started streaming down my face and my voice was shaking. Pak Iwan, hearing my uncontrollable, shaky voice still trying to form words, told me that “he felt bad that I was still doing explanations while crying,” so he asked me to stop for a while and to gather myself first. Despite the extreme embarrassment, I ultimately chose to comply.
The next film, Shallot Salad (2023) directed by BW Purbanegara, again used a minimalistic dialogue approach, making it easier for me to describe. The last film was Suli Storyboard (2023), directed by Anggun Priambodo; it was unique; I almost did not describe anything to Pak Iwan during this film. Living up to the film’s title, it was a storyboard; each slide was narrated in detail, witty and quirky, and unintentionally, making it easier for the visually impaired to actually imagine the whole film.
Practicing My Basic Sign Language Knowledge
During my stay in MASH Denpasar, I befriended Albert; he was my unofficial sign language teacher. I have been so keen to learn about sign language. He patiently taught me about sign language. I learned the very basic ones, like how to introduce myself, saying ‘nice to meet you’ and even getting my own nickname in my sign language!
What is the point of learning if I do not even apply in real-life situations? The next day, I went to the Inclusive Cinema: Subtitles for Deaf and Hard of Hearing for the Kids. I gathered all of the confidence that I had in myself and approached the students. Like the usual greeting, I waved my hand to get their attention. “Hello My name is C Y N T H I A. Nice to meet you!” Thankfully, they seemed to understand what I was saying, indicating that I was doing it correctly. It was an ultimate feeling for me; at that moment, I felt proud.
When we entered the theater to watch the program, lots of children from various schools across Bali were present. They all seemed to be very eager, and some of them were even wearing the traditional Balinese attire. Even Sonja Rohleder, the director of Somni, was also there due to her film being featured in the program. Therefore, I not only introduced her but also moderated a mini Q&A session.
A sign language interpreter stood right next to me, interpreting both Sonja’s and my words. In the back, one of the kids with hearing impairment asked where Sonja came from; the interpreter spelled out Germany. Afterwards, Sonja also gave out freebies such as stickers to the kids.
I briefly mentioned my auntie’s case at the beginning to emphasize her right to explore her favorite place; Pasar Baru should have been more wheelchair accessible to enable her to roam around comfortably. In Indonesia’s film industry, there should be no doubt about the urgency of creating inclusive facilities that welcome all audiences, including increasing the presence of inclusive cinema. Not only at film festivals, but also on a broader scale—such as when we visit the cinema closest to us—they should be offering alternative showtimes that provide AD or SDH. Let it become a bare minimum, rather than something that is so rare that people would be amazed by its existence.
Eventually, these experiences reminded me of who is actually in charge of creating an inclusive environment. The current world population as of right now is 8,184,391,242, meaning that we are not alone in this world; there are other people in this world with different capabilities compared to us. I was left with a lingering feeling that right now, I may not currently possess the necessary resources to establish my own inclusive cinema or enhance accessibility in public spaces. Though, I believe I can still make a difference by being attentive, offering help when needed and possible, and simply speaking about the importance of inclusivity, which hopefully are powerful steps towards change. By the end of the day, they deserve to have equal experiences like us.
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