Kamila Andini's 'Four Seasons in Java' Debuts Uncut at TIFF — SkimNews
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- Kamila Andini premieres 'Four Seasons in Java' at TIFF — her fifth feature and third appearance at the festival after 'The Seen and the Unseen' (2017) and 'Yuni' (2021), which won the Platform Prize and became Indonesia's official Oscar entry.
- Putri Marino stars as Pertiwi, returning to her hometown after 20 years in prison for killing a man in self-defense during an attempted rape; Andini says the role required training in horseback riding, handling electricity, and fighting.
- Andini calls the film her most furious work, saying she 'wanted to curse a lot' during research and that expressing anger can be 'liberating.'
- Unlike 'Yuni,' which Andini trimmed for international audiences, 'Four Seasons in Java' has no festival cut — she kept the full ensemble to convey the 'vibrancy and communal spirit of Indonesian society.'
- Andini says 'Indonesia is nobody's top of mind when it comes to Asian cinema,' noting Thailand and the Philippines are more recognized even within Southeast Asia.
- Costume designer Hagai Pakan gave each character a distinct visual identity so 'Asian characters' wouldn't blur together for North American viewers.
- The film opens in Indonesia on Oct. 8 after TIFF and will also screen at the Busan International Film Festival.
Why it matters: Andini's refusal to cut the ensemble for international buyers is a direct rebuttal of the conventional festival-financing playbook — Indonesian filmmakers are pushing back on pressure to flatten their work for global markets, betting the country's 'vibrancy and communal spirit' can compete with Thailand and the Philippines' head start in Asian cinema recognition.
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