Women from Rote Island


Women from Rote Island is a 2023 Indonesian drama film written and directed by Jeremias Nyangoen in his feature directorial debut.
The film had its world premiere at the 28th Busan International Film Festival on 7 October 2023. It received four awards at the 2023 Indonesian Film Festival, including Best Picture and Best Director for Nyangoen. It was selected as the Indonesian submission for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.
IG womenfromroteisland

Premise

Martha, an illegal migrant worker, comes back to her hometown in Rote Island to attend her father's funeral. Meanwhile, she has to deal with her own trauma after experiencing sexual violence in her workplace.

Cast

  • Linda Adoe as Orpa
  • Irma Rihi as Martha
  • Sallum Ratu Ke as Bertha
  • Van Jhoov as Damar

Production

Casting

Nyangoen revealed that he only cast local actors of Rote Island and around East Nusa Tenggara in order to preserve the distinctive accent of the Rote language and capture the essence of the region.

Release

Women from Rote Island had its world premiere at the 28th Busan International Film Festival on 7 October 2023 as a part of the A Window on Asian Cinema program. It also is set to screen at the 2023 Jakarta Film Week.