Kamila Andini on Toronto Selection ‘Four Seasons in Java’

Kamila Andini’s “Four Seasons in Java” is her fifth feature film, but this marks her third time at the Toronto Film Festival after “The Seen and the Unseen” (2017) and “Yuni” (2021) that won the Platform Prize and became Indonesia’s official Oscar entry. 

It follows Pertiwi, starring Putri Marino (“Cigarette Girl”), who comes back to her hometown after being held in prison for 20 years for killing a young man in self-defense during an attempted rape. 

This marks Andini’s second collaboration with Marino after “Cigarette Girl.” Marino had already been cast when Andini was still writing the screenplay before they even filmed the Netflix sensation. 

The Indonesian auteur is known for her tender portrayal of women’s struggle, but this film may be her most furious work. “I didn’t think I was that furious, but as I was researching for a script, I wanted to curse a lot,” Andini explains. She adds that while the subject is frustrating, she needs to express anger as it can also be liberating. 

During the preparation process, Andini recalls an intensive period of character development with Marino. “This may be my film with the most character workshops,” she says. Set in a fictionalized town reminiscent of a Western, the film required Marino to train Pertiwi in a range of skills, from horseback riding and handling electricity to fighting.

For Indonesian filmmakers, film festivals have become an important gateway to the international market, helping introduce the country’s cinema to global audiences. “Indonesia is nobody’s top of mind when it comes to Asian cinema,” Andini says. “We’re not even top of mind in Southeast Asia, as Thailand and the Philippines are recognized more,” she adds.

That’s also why Andini and many other Indonesian filmmakers have been actively participating in international project markets. For them, these platforms are no longer just about securing financing, but also about introducing Indonesian stories and culture to the international industry and building greater familiarity with the country’s cinema.

Another strategy Andini has adopted is creating separate festival and theatrical cuts of her films. When she submitted “Yuni” to TIFF in 2021, feedback from her international partners suggested that the film had too many characters. She reworked the film, cutting several characters from the festival version.

Her first film at TIFF, “The Seen and Unseen,” had few characters; she cut some in “Yuni,” but in “Four Seasons in Java,” she doesn’t hold back. Instead, she wants the international audience to experience the vibrancy and communal spirit of Indonesian society.

“Four Seasons in Java” does not have a festival cut. This time, Andini brings many characters without cutting them. 

Despite this, Andini is aware that Asian characters can sometimes appear visually similar to North American audiences, so she worked with costume designer Hagai Pakan (“Cigarette Girl”, “Yuni”) to give each character a distinct visual identity

“Four Seasons in Java” premieres in Toronto before coming back to Indonesia on Oct. 8. The film will also play at the Busan International Film Festival