Special Screenings
POSITION AMONG THE STARS
DIRECTOR: LEONARD RETEL HELMRICH
NETHERLANDS, 2010
In the final installment of the trilogy that includes the award-winning documentaries THE EYE OF THE DAY (2001) and SHAPE OF THE MOON (2004), Helmrich concludes his in-depth portrait of Indonesia as seen through the eyes of one family living in the slums of Jakarta. Grandmother Rumidjah, a poor old Christian woman, weathers a changing society and the influence of globalization reflected in the lives of her juvenile granddaughter Tari and her sons Bakti and Dwi, who are Muslims. In a modern-day Indonesia entrenched in a tug-of-war between Christianity and Islam, young and old, rich and poor, and beset by encroaching globalization, the simple life that Rumidjah knows so well is quickly disappearing. Employing uninterrupted shots and forgoing interviews and voice-over narration, Helmrich’s film offers a rich, vérité cultural mosaic. (109 mins.)
Best Documentary, International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam, and World Cinema Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival.