Homebound

Tari longs to return home to Indonesia after more than 10 years working abroad in Taiwan. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck her plans unraveled, revealing a lack of rights for vulnerable migrant workers and systemic misinformation. Tari narrates her own journey and reveals personal stories related to her decision to work in Taiwan, her strained family relationships, the risks involved in working abroad and the traps she has fallen into. Tari shares intimate details of how her relationship with her son has suffered, revealing the guilt she has felt for leaving him behind. Homebound is an intimate animated documentary portrayal of a migrant worker’s experience abroad and is an urgent wake up call for those who have contributed to a system that takes advantage of 1000s of women each year.’

Tari rindu untuk pulang ke Indonesia setelah lebih dari 10 tahun bekerja di Taiwan. Ketika pandemi Covid-19 melanda, rencananya terurai, mengungkapkan kurangnya hak bagi pekerja migran yang rentan dan informasi yang salah secara sistemik. Melalui narasi orang pertama, Tari mengungkapkan kisah pribadi terkait keputusannya bekerja di Taiwan, hubungan keluarga yang kurang harmonis, risiko bekerja di luar negeri, dan jebakan yang ia alami. Tari berbagi cerita intim tentang bagaimana hubungannya yang pincang dengan putranya, mengungkapkan rasa bersalah yang ia rasakan karena meninggalkannya. Homebound adalah penggambaran intim dari pengalaman seorang pekerja migran di luar negeri dan merupakan panggilan yang mendesak bagi mereka yang telah berkontribusi pada sebuah sistem yang mengambil keuntungan dari 1000-an perempuan setiap tahun.

NOTE: Sofia Setyorini, the impact producer of the film, will be present at the post-screening discussion.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Ismail Fahmi Lubis is considered one of Indonesia’s foremost documentary film directors. He enrolled in the Institut Kesenian Jakarta (IKJ) in 1993, majoring in Film and Directing. Upon his graduation, he directed several Indonesian television drama series before switching his focus to documentary in 1998. As a cinematographer, Ismail has worked with notable filmmakers including Dutch filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich (Shape of the Moon, 2004) and Australia’s Cathy Henkel (The Burning Season, 2008). He has directed three feature documentaries including “Masked Monkey”, “Tarling Is Darling” and “Help Is On The Way”.