Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (52 min. 14 sec.) ; 313135222 bytes |
Summary |
Aceh, an Indonesian province located at the tip of the island of Sumatra, was thrust into the media spotlight two years ago for being one of the worst-hit areas of the 2004 tsunami. However, Aceh's rebellion against Indonesian rule - which stretches back decades - has received relatively little coverage... until now.Through the lens of journalist turned film-maker William Nessen, The Black Road, presents a haunting, often harrowing journey inside the war in Aceh and gives the viewer a rare snapshot of what it was like to live in the province.Filmed over four years, the 52 minute documentary begins - and ends - in the days after the devastating tsunami. A brief epilogue takes the viewer through the historic peace accord. But more than recounting historical events, The Black Road is about the people of Aceh - who, when set against the odds, emerge triumphant - and who have had to endure the bad times, struggling on while trying to maintain their dignity. During filming, Nessen immersed himself in his art - living for months on the frontline with GAM independence fighters, was himself hunted and almost killed by the Indonesian military and eventually went to jail. He became friends with the leading Indonesian general in the province and patrolled with his men. He even married a local - who was trusted by the military, but who was working secretly for the independence movement.Focusing heavily on the human experience, Nessen and his camera step into the lives of Aceh's guerrillas, human rights activists and its ordinary farmers. He takes the viewer directly to Aceh's battlefields and burnt-out villages, and through him we march at protests with demonstrators and witness the fighting that follows. In fact, Nessen put his own life on the line on more than one occasion so that he could be (in his words) a 'voice of the voiceless': to let the Acehnese speak through my film because the world had long ignored what was happening to them.The Black Road is also a startling account of Nessen's four-year journey of self-discovery and transformation, as he is pulled deeper into the conflict that envelops him... and the personal lives of the Acehnese. (Commissioned by SBS Independent, in English, Indonesian and Acehnese, English subtitles) |
Notes |
Closed captioning in English |
Event |
Broadcast 2010-10-06 at 01:55:00 |
Notes |
Classification: M |
Subject |
Autonomy and independence movements.
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Gerakan Aceh Merdeka.
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Guerrillas.
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Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004)
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Indonesia -- Aceh.
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Form |
Streaming video
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Author |
Nessen, William, director
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