The ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA) 2017 recently announced Ziarah, a movie created by Yogyakartan film makers, is nominated for 4 categories: Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Actress.
Mbah Ponco Sutiyem, the main actress, is nominated for Best Actress, a category whereshe has to compete withNgoc Thanh Tam (The Way Station/Vietnam), Subenja (Bangkok Nites/Laos) and Cut Mini (Athirah/Indonesia).
What makes it interesting is that Mbah Ponco (95) is not a professional actress and has never taken any role in any movie. Although she's just an ordinary woman from Ngawen, Gunung Kidul, director BW Purba Negara trusted her to play the main role, Mbah Sri, in the movie after seeing her potential.
We went door to door, we talked to them [all candidates to play the role of Mbah Sri] one by one. Finally we met mbah Ponco Sutiyem, a 95-year-old grandmother who is in her old age, still having a high spirit to plantcorns near her house in Ngawen, Gunung Kidul, said co-producer Bagus Suitrawan.
BW Purba Negara, the director of the movie, said that he chose Mbah Poncobecause of herexperience living during war time.
Her husband was arrested by the Dutch. At that time, Mbah Ponco was pregnant. Her house was bombarded by mortars and bullets. She ran away, moving from one place to other places. Her life journey was full of bullets. Luckily, she always found ways to save herself. I insert some of her experiences in this movie. There are also other figures such as veteran soldiers takingroles in this movie. By this, the acting of Ziarah characters would be more dramatic, unique and authentic as well as far away from stereotype,he said.
Ziarah is a movie about an old lady named Mbah Sri who is trying to find her husbands grave becauseshe wants to be burried beside him when she dies.
Ziarah will be in theaters starting May 18, 2017.
Here is the sneak peek of Ziarah movie trailer.
(brl/red)
