Marlina Mampir ke Bristol.

Poster Film "Marlina" di Watershed, yang saya bawa pulang

Poster Film "Marlina" di Watershed, yang saya bawa pulang

Poster Film "Marlina" di Watershed, yang saya bawa pulang

Poster Film "Marlina" di Watershed, yang saya bawa pulang

April 2 tahun lalu, saya turut merancang putar film dan diskusi "Marlina The Murderer in Four Acts" di Watershed Bristol--bioskop independen terbesar di barat daya Inggris. Ceritanya, Watershed putar film ini di program regular (ya! Marlina diputar di bioskop komersial di UK), terus saya bikin proposal buat bikin acaranya. Dan dikabulkan.

Saat itu saya dibantu kolega sesama S3 UEA, Toby, dan juga dukungan penuh dari KBRI London. 

Kebetulan, “Marlina” sedang keliling Britania Raya. Sebelumnya, saya menonton film ini di British Film Institute London—tepatnya: BFI Southbank--dan menyaksikan diskusi Mouly Surya dan Rama Adi dengan penonton di sana setelah pemutaran.
Kembali ke Bristol. Bersama Bu Hana Satriyo, istri dari Pak Dubes yang juga adalah aktivis perempuan, saya ikut menjadi salah satu pembicaranya. Menarik sekali ulasan Bu Hana, perspektif feminisme yang menyegarkan. Sayang saya tidak mendapatkan papernya. Tapi saya sudah usulkan untuk dikirim ke media.
Hari itu, kursi nyaris terisi penuh, sekitar 80%. Dan sebagian besar, non-Indonesia. Dan mereka antusias berdiskusi.
Tentu saja, ajang itu tidak sekadar diskusi dan putar film. Saya berkenalan dan jadi akrab dengan kurator Watershed, misalnya. Dan…saya dapat poster gede “Marlina” versi UK!
Saya baru saja ngeh kalau acara itu diliput oleh The Jakarta Post.
https://www.thejakartapost.com/…/indonesian-film-marlina-tr…
#harifilmnasional #bulanfilmnasional

"Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts", Watershed Bristol, 2018.

On the 24th of April, I did a public talk on "Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts". Watershed, the biggest art-house cinema in Southwest, screened the film from 20 to 126 April. along with bu Hana Satriyo, I shared my take particularly on "Marlina related to "Women, Gender, and Indonesian Cinema".

Here's some photo, taken by Tara Judah.

BTW, this is the first public talk for me as a Doctor in Film Studies :) 

photo by Tara Judah

Other pictures can be accessed from @midnightmovies and @KBRILondon on Twitter.

The Best of 2017

Best of 2017


January
Watched Train to Busan and The Handmaiden
30 January: I passed my viva voche (PhD thesis defence). Hopefully i can submit the revised version within this month.

February
Inek (Medina's grandma) visited the UK for the second time.

May
Medina was a catwalk model in  a Bristol Indonesian Society's event

Finally, free download of "Menjegal Film Indonesia"

June
Ramadhan and Eid celebration

July
Medina Got a Reward from Islamic Sunday School
Pengajian al-Hijrah Bristol visited Oxford Center for Islamic Studies
Wrote for Taipei Film Festival  <--my first article translated into Chinese!


August
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.

Liverpool Beatles Tour.

17 Agustusan, Medina danced Hat Dance

Medina's Birthday Party!
Video:

September
Watched  Setan Jawa and  wrote long articles on  London Gamelan Festival for Tempo.

October
Medina won another award from her school


November
Watched Majid Majidi's Muhammad the Messenger of God and wrote the review in Tirto.



December
2 December: Organizing Bristol Gathering with Indonesian Ambassador and Attache of Education and Culture

Watched Miike's Blade of Immortal

Went to Swindon and Birmingham. Got stuck in a wet snowy slippery road for 2 hours, but finally we survived and enjoyed Mindi House.

Best of Summer (1): Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

So far, Summer 2017 is full of fun. And of of the best events was Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, the annual cultural event, 10-13 August.

On the first day, we went to Ashton Court for Night Glow show. And on the last day, we went to Clifton Observatory, near the legendary Suspension Bridge, to see tens of balloon.
Some pictures:

Night Glow

The dancing Balloons

The Princess and her companion, off to Clifton Observatory

The Princess, waiting for the Balloons

enjoying the view

Suspension Bridge and the Balloons

Happy Faces

First Day, Off to the Ashton Court, say hi to the Deers

Waiting for the Balloons and Night Glow

The Three of Us

and of course the video:

See you next year, Balloon Fiesta!
Don't forget to read our tips on how to enjoy the festival, click here.

Tips How to Enjoy Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

What a night! 

We just went and enjoyed 38th Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. And It was brilliant.

But, to be more enjoyable, I think I need to share our experiences during the legendary Night Glow.

tips to go to Bristol International Balloon Fiesta: 
(1) everything is expensive, bring your own food and drink 
2) just in case you need it, bring some cash, the cash machines will cost you £2.75. There are many games and even circus show in the venue

3) even if it is sunny and the sun is very bright when you are about to get there, bring your jacket, the thicker one. And if necessary, blankets. The best part of this event starts at 9pm (for night glow event)
4)the shuttle bus is more
expensive than the regular bus tickets. Even if you have your daily/weekly/monthly bus tickets and a student, you need to upgrade it by paying £2. There are some regular buses who can take you there, just stop near Ashton Gate Stadium
5) on the second thought, at least buy a single ticket of shuttle bus to get you home. The queue is crazy and super hectic, and the public buses dont regular pass the area.Or, take taxi?
(6) if you watch night glow: if finally the fireworks appear, leave the area immediately or you will return home with hundreds of people and will face chaotic queue in the parking lot and bus stop.
(7) bring your mat and cushion, too.

Happy picnic!

#nightglow #balloonfiesta #bristol #summer 

Want to Buy a Bicycle for your Kids? Go to this Place!

If you plan to give your kids a bicycle, or want to exchange the bike, go to The White Factory. It is a non-commercial place to buy, exchange, donate, or fix bike with a super duper cheap price.
To buy the used bike, it is just 10 pounds. To exchange your bike with their used bikes (with various kind of options), it is only 5 pounds. To buy the stabilizer or training wheels, it's 3 pounds.

Cheap price, friendly staff, and the bikes are in good condition!

Address:
The Whie Factore, 18 Netham Road, St. George, Bristol BS5 9PF
email: apebikeworkshop:gmail.com
info@apeproject.co.uk.
More info, please see the brochure below:

Info, from: Pak Riki, Bristol.

Keep Calm and Let's Fast in UK's Summertime

Ramadan in Foreign Series

Keep Calm and Let's Fasting in UK's Summertime

Abu Bakar Mosque in Cambridge, 2015

Sunday,  11 June 2017  −  04:54 WIB
by: Ekky Imanjaya       PhD Candidate in Film Studies at University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
      Vice Chairperson of Pengajian Al-Hijrah, Bristol, UK

Imagine this: you wake up around 2am to eat Sahur and perform Subuh prayer around 2.40am, then, after few hours of sleeping, early in the morning you do your daily job (as a student or worker, or do domestic jobs) while fasting. 

After doing many things, you realize that it is already 8.30pm but the sun still shines so bright. Maghrib is still an hour away. Later, by watching the apps, your reminder tell you that it is already Maghrib and you break your fast. 

In about 2 hours, an hour before midnight, you perform Isya prayer and Tarawih at home—because the mosque is too faraway and it is past midnight by the time you finish the prayers—and you only few hours to sleep, or stay awake to do the next sahur.

That is typical routine during Ramadan in the UK during summertime.  It is very challenging and different with Indonesia, where most of the people on do the fasting and most of public spaces are full of Ramadan spirit, such as religious songs and Islamic TV programs. 

Muslims in the UK have to fast for about 18,5 hours, from Subuh (around 2.40 am) to Maghrib (about 9.25pm)—of course the schedule may vary in different places- and we only have 5 hours to eat and drink, or only 2,5  hours after  we perform Tarawih in Masjid,  before we start to fast again.   

There is no adzan except if we install the apps for praying schedule. One needs effort to go to nearest masjid for Tarawih prayer especially for children who will go to school early in the morning, except if he or she owns car or live nearby. Also, if a group of people wants to have social Iftar, one must plan it carefully, usually in a friend’s house, and difficult to have it at malls or restaurants since most of them are closed.

For the first week, if we don’t plan the schedule properly, not only hunger and thirst, we can also get sleepy due to the lack of sleep. And, during summer, naturally there are many people with “minimalist” style of dressing.

Of course, if you have a group of Muslims, such as Pengajian Al-Hijrah Bristol or Islamic Society in most campuses, things will get easier because we have companion to fast and experience Ramadan together. 


Ramadan in the UK is quite challenging, but it is still doable with full spirit, and worth it.

As I’m mentioned,  in UK, we can’t hear any adzan, and less people will ask us to do social iftar in malls or do ngabuburit since most shops and malls are closed, actually.  On the other hand, we can explore different kind of experience: A very British Ramadan.

If we break our fast in the Mosque, we can interact with other Muslims from other countries and cultural backgrounds. Usually, most of Masjid, and some of Islamic Societies in campuses, provide ta’jil for tens or even hundreds of people. And, we can of course taste the food from different countries, but mostly Biryani Rice and Nan bread and chicken or lamb curry.  

One of the British experience of Ramadan can be found at Ihsan Mosque in Norwich. Most of the jamaah are white and English Muslims and some Moroccans. Once we hear the Adzan prayer, nobody touches the food or drink until it finishes. 

Iftar British Style at Ihsan Mosque

After break the fast with dates and milk, we pray and later eat the appetizer: soup with bread. And later comes the main course, usually something with rice or bread, and we eat it: one big tray for 4-6 people in one plate. And, if we are lucky, there are some dessert such as cakes and ice cream. And since the restaurants and public spaces are closed in the evening, they provide a mini café shop, and we can pay with dinar and dirham.  

The Prayer Leaders are two Moroccan teenagers who take turn becoming imam: one lead the prayer by reciting a juz of Quran by heart for a night, and one is standing by opening the small Quran and checking the Imam’s recitation. 

The Grand Imam, Syeikh Abdassamad, is standing next to him and the prayer leaders are very humble, they also help people preparing and serving the food. And between Salat, there are some dzikir and shalawat, just like most of Muslims do in Indonesia.

Another interesting experience was when I did Iftar and Tarawih prayer at University of East Anglia, my campus in Norwich, July 2015. I didn’t realize that buses are not operating that night due to a reason I can’t remember. 

After Tarawih, about 12.30am, everybody goes home. And I just realized that no bus will come by. So I decided to walk and tried to call taxi. Unfortunately it was Saturday night and every taxi is busy, and I should wait for another 30-45 minutes. So, I decided to walk home, alone. It took 45 minutes. By the time I got home, I only have 15 minutes to prepare sahur and eat. And while I am still eating, the adzan prayer is on in my phone and I stopped eating and drinking.

Of course non-Muslims often asked questions about “nil by mouth” for such a long hours:”What for?”” do you suffer?” They try to fast as well. And some Islamic Society also invite and encourage non-Muslims to try fasting and break their fast with Muslim community. 

A Muslim, at least, need to know basic Islamic knowledge about it and automatically become ambassador of Islam, whether you like it or not. What beautiful and colorful experiences. 

Source: https://en.sindonews.com/read/1212565/196/keep-calm-and-lets-fasting-in-uks-summertime-1497132423/13