Synopsis

"Mata Hati" is a documentary film that delves into the world of inclusive education in Indonesia, focusing on blind students in North Sumatra. Centered around YAPENTRA, a boarding school for the visually impaired in Tanjung Morawa, the film introduces students who've come from distant places, such as the island of Nias, and have faced blindness since a young age.

On the other side there are  alumni of the same boarding school, who have returned as educators to give back to the community as teachers to the current students. As adults who have overcome their own challenges as blind individuals, they serve as a mentor and role model for the younger students, showing them that anything is possible with hard work and determination.

Through the points of view of students and alumni of YAPENTRA, "Eye of the Heart" explores the transformative power of education and the importance of community in helping individuals reach their full potential. The film follows their journey as they navigate the challenges and triumphs of life at the boarding school, and ultimately, emerge stronger and more confident in their abilities to shape their own future.

Background

Our partner for our initial Project, Hildesheimer Blindenmission e.V. (HBM), is an evangelical humanitarian organisation that operates schools for the blind in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines and Myanmar. We approached them with a request to create a documentary film that would highlight the work they are doing to support blind and visually impaired individuals in Indonesia. Specifically, they wanted to showcase the success stories and challenges of a boarding school for the blind they operate in Medan, Indonesia and a community centre for the blind, currently under construction that they support in Nias.

Objective

• To raise awareness about the work HBM is doing to support blind and visually impaired individuals in Indonesia

• To inspire support and donations from individuals and organizations interested in this cause

• To showcase the success stories and challenges of the boarding school and community centre

Approach

We worked closely with HBM to understand their goals and objectives for the film, and to develop a clear plan for the project. We conducted research on the blind and visually impaired community in Indonesia, and we travelled to Medan and Nias to conduct interviews and gather footage for the film.

In Medan, we visited the boarding school and interviewed students, teachers, and staff to get a sense of the impact the school is having on the local community. In Nias, we visited the construction site of the community centre and interviewed individuals who are going to benefit from the services provided there in the future.

Result

On November 30, 2023, we celebrated the first screening of our documentary hosted by the Southeast Asian Studies Department in the Asien-Afrika-Institut of Universität Hamburg. Around 60 people attended the movie screening which included a subsequent discussion in which many of them took place. The documentary was also covered by the local newspaper “Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung” on 5th of January 2024. The Angklung Hamburg Orchestra played a benefits concert in the prestigious Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, which was organized by our team member Luna Pujianto for the Hildesheimer Blindenmission.

In the near future we plan to produce an audio description thus the film will be suitable for blind people. It is a major concern for us, that the protagonists in our film can experience the documentary, which also will include producing an Indonesian synchronization for the Indonesian audience. Until now the film is only available with a German narration and Interviews in Indonesian with English subtitles.