Restored Asian Films

The film, written by the poet Asrul Sani and directed by Usmair Ismail, is widely regarded as a classic of Indonesian cinema. The film is a thriller set in the months following Indonesia’s independence. It follows Iskandar, a medical student and war veteran, who finds himself disillusioned with civilian life in the post-war era and feels betrayed by the corruption and mismanaged leadership around him. Eventually Iskandar finds himself on the run from the authorities in a city that, after the revolution, is still under the curfew.

Lewat Djam Malam (After the Curfew) is a passionate work looking directly at a crucial moment of conflict in Indonesian history: the aftermath of the four-year Republican revolution which brought an end to Dutch rule. This is a visually and dramatically potent film about anger and disillusionment, about the dream of a new society cheapened and misshapen by government repression on the one hand, and bourgeois complacency on the other.

[Submission to FOCAL Awards, 2013] https://www.focalint.org/focal-international-awards/2013/the-focal-international-awards-2013/all-submissions/best-archive-restoration-preservation-title