As this year’s winner of the Short Film Award at the Venice Film Festival and recent winner of Best Director and Youth Jury Prize at the Singapore International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Awards, young Indonesian director Aditya Ahmad has created a true gift (pun very much intended).
His award-winning short film, Kado (A Gift) also screened at the Jogja NETPAC Asian Film Festival this year and provides a wondrously nuanced, complex depiction of gender identity within a Muslim community. But most of all, it depicts the true lawlessness of (and freedom found in) adolescence, the unconditional love and acceptance found in friendships, and the inherent turmoil that is finding out who you are (or whatever that means).
His award-winning short film, Kado (A Gift) also screened at the Jogja NETPAC Asian Film Festival this year and provides a wondrously nuanced, complex depiction of gender identity within a Muslim community. But most of all, it depicts the true lawlessness of (and freedom found in) adolescence, the unconditional love and acceptance found in friendships, and the inherent turmoil that is finding out who you are (or whatever that means).
The 15-minute short provides an intimate glimpse into the life of androgynous teenager Isfi (Isfiri Febiana). Febiana does the role immense justice –– strength coupled with ambivalence radiating from each gaze when the camera rests on her. The opening shot depicts Isfi staring out of a broken window at the world below, only eyes in view, both an outsider and observer of the patterns and behaviours that constitute masculinity and femininity.
Simple actions such as dressing and undressing are elevated in meaning here: they are rituals. Actions such as wearing trousers as opposed to a skirt, a hijab rather than going out with one’s head bare—these actions enable Isfi to fluidly navigate friendships and gain access to both social and intimate spaces.
Simple actions such as dressing and undressing are elevated in meaning here: they are rituals. Actions such as wearing trousers as opposed to a skirt, a hijab rather than going out with one’s head bare—these actions enable Isfi to fluidly navigate friendships and gain access to both social and intimate spaces.
Kado's greatest fault is that it's only 15-minutes long. In this short amount of time, Ahmad has delicately given us a taste of Isfi’s world and I feel that there's much more left to discover.
Written by Melissa Noelle Esguerra
The film was screened under the Asian Perspective section of the 13th Jogja NETPAC Asian Film Festival held in Yogyakarta.
Melissa Noelle Esguerra is a multifaceted writer who likes to explore all things pertaining to art, film, culture, and literature. She obtained her BA (Hons) in English Language & Literature with a minor in Linguistics from New York University. After having spent the last four years in New York City, she now resides in Singapore.
The film was screened under the Asian Perspective section of the 13th Jogja NETPAC Asian Film Festival held in Yogyakarta.
Melissa Noelle Esguerra is a multifaceted writer who likes to explore all things pertaining to art, film, culture, and literature. She obtained her BA (Hons) in English Language & Literature with a minor in Linguistics from New York University. After having spent the last four years in New York City, she now resides in Singapore.