unsink (2021)

“Unsink is a battle cry from Jakartans. We’re a very large group of people living with the fact that our home is sinking, and we as individuals have no way of fixing this problem. We’re both aware and unaware of it sinking, and why it sinks. 

As regular people, people who wake up to possible opportunities, we continue living our lives, pushing the idea of Jakarta sinking to the back of our minds. When we’ve voiced our concern for years and years, but our government continues to ignore us, what can we do but cope? Our governor continues to push for a 3 trillion rupiah investment in a race event that 70% of us will be too poor to attend; we work to fund the cars and races as we continue to buy water by the liter from a local merchant. This is what Jakarta is. This is what Jakartans wish for. We wish to unsink, but that dream is yet to be fulfilled.

This film is my love letter to Jakarta, my effort in preserving my home in my memories; I don’t have a choice but to anticipate it going underwater in the coming years.

Once it has sunk, where else can I look to reminisce but my memories?”

Unsink was an official selection of the Minikino Film Week (IDN) & Austin Arthouse Film Festival (USA) in 2021. It is also an awardee for the UVA film festival (NL) and was invited for screening at the Media Makers Film Festival (NL) in 2025.