Eddie Cahyono’s Busan Title ‘Ibuku’ Boarded by Asian Shadows for Sales

Asian Shadows has boarded international sales rights to Eddie Cahyono’s “Ibuku,” starring Christine Hakim and Ayushita Nugraha, which the Busan International Film Festival has selected for its Competition lineup.

“Ibuku” centers on Sumiati (Hakim), a widow in her 60s isolated in a small Javanese village since her husband took his own life. Her daughter, Sri (Nugraha), had gone abroad for work to get away from an arranged marriage and an abusive spouse. Word reaches Sumiati that Sri now faces execution in Saudi Arabia over the killing of a man who attempted to abuse her, sending the mother on a desperate hunt for the funds to reach her daughter one final time, aided by village chief Djatmiko (Landung Simatupang), who connects her with Indonesian officials and journalists.

Shot on 16mm, the film draws on Cahyono’s research into Indonesian migrant workers, many of whom leave for the city or abroad to escape financial hardship at home, and on the domestic violence and forced marriages some families face in their absence. The story centers on the families left behind, tracing how a mother copes with her daughter’s absence.

Hakim’s credits span five decades and include “Tjoet Nja’ Dhien,” “Eat Pray Love” and HBO’s “The Last of Us.” Nugraha has appeared in “What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love” and “Kartini: Princess of Java,” while Simatupang’s film work includes “Gie,” “Soegija” and “Kartini: Princess of Java.”

Indonesia’s ANP Talenta Media, run by Tika Bravani, and Japan’s Knockonwood Inc., headed by Shin Yamaguchi, are producing “Ibuku,” with Hong Kong’s Chinese Shadows executives Isabelle Glachant and Li Xiaorong on board as creative producers. Cahyono holds an executive producer credit via his own Memorieslight Pictures. The film is Bravani’s first as a feature producer.

“‘Ibuku’ is a poetic and touching portrait of a mother through the timeless eyes of her own daughter,” said Maria Ruggieri, Asian Shadows’ head of sales and acquisitions. “We are proud to bring Ibuku to the attention of the International audience.”

Asian Shadows previously handled sales on Cahyono’s second feature, “Siti” (2014), which won three National Indonesian Awards, for best screenplay, best music and best film, along with prizes at the Singapore International Film Festival and Shanghai International Film Festival. The Hong Kong-based boutique sales company, founded in 2014, represents Asian films by Asian directors, with a roster that has included Mouly Surya’s “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts” and Garin Nugroho’s “Memories of My Body.”