Oma

Runtime: 90'

Expected release: October, 2025

Production stage: Late Production

Budget: €321 500 (17.5% in place)

1st feature: Yes

Looking for: European and US co-producers, Commissioning editors, Sales agent

Synopsis:

Oma unfolds the story of a family divided by the dark history of Indonesia’s anti-communist purge in 1965. After testifying in the International People’s Tribunal ‘65 The Hague, Oma (Grandmother) Net Markus (84) is finding a way to pass on the family history to Mikael (17), her grandson. Despite Mikael’s curiosity, he is facing a dilemma as his other grandmother is loyal to the anti-communist narrative.

Director’s profile:

Armin Septiexan is a visual artist based in Savu Island, West Timor Indonesia. Oma is his first debut feature-length documentary which he has been filming since 2019. Armin’s previous work focuses on using visual art to communicate in brutal honesty about human rights issues such as Distance (2020) with Asian Justice and Rights (AJAR) about a migrant worker from Kupang, West Timor being a human trafficking victim; The Reunion of Stolen Children (2019) with AJAR about the displaced people during post-war of Timor Leste. In 2022, Armin directed Ammu Hawu, a short animated documentary about how an Indigenous Community in Sabu Island where he lives, is facing challenges in preserving their local wisdom. With his project Oma, Armin has participated in First Cut Lab Philippines (2024), DocEdge Kolkata (2024), Docs by The Sea (2023), and In-Docs Open Table (2023).

Producer’s profile:

Lodimeda Kini, an Indonesian emerging producer focuses on documentaries and animations for science communication and changemaking. Her work includes Water and Society (2020) about water scarcity in West Timor, Ammu Hawu (2022), Kika Ga (2024) a mixed 2D-3D animation about human-nature relationship in Sabunese culture. Armi Rae Cacanindin is the founder and CEO of Popple Pictures, producing both fiction and documentaries from filmmakers with distinct voices. Her project includes the critically acclaimed epic first feature of Carlo Manatad, Whether the Weather is Fine which won the Youth Jury Award in Locarno 2021 and was a big winner at the 2021 Metro Manila International Film Festival, the multi-awarded creative documentary, Aswang, by Alyx Arumpac that won the FIPRESCI award at its IDFA 2019 premiere, and bagged top awards in Montreal, DMZ Docs, Thessaloniki, Jogjakarta and DocAviv.