A traveling film festival rooted in the villages and Indigenous communities of Minahasa.
Festival Felem Orang Gunung is a shared space created by filmmakers, cultural workers, Indigenous youth, and film communities working from villages across Minahasa.
The festival began from a simple conviction: people living and creating outside established film centres should be able to produce, screen, discuss, and define cinema from the places where they live.
Films made in villages and Indigenous communities are not peripheral stories. They emerge from living territories, languages, memories, struggles, and the knowledge systems of their communities.
Cinema Moving Between Villages
Festival Felem Orang Gunung does not depend on a permanent cinema building or screening venue. It moves from one village or community to another, with each host community helping to shape the festival.
Screenings, workshops, conversations, and shared meals are organised through collective work. The festival grows from the spirit of Ru’kup and Mapalus, Minahasan knowledge and practices of cooperation and mutual support.
The village is not treated merely as a screening location. It becomes a meeting place where filmmakers, young people, cultural workers, and community members watch films, exchange knowledge, and speak about their own experiences.
A Space for Learning and Appreciation
Festival Felem Orang Gunung brings together several interconnected activities:
The festival is not only a place to present completed films. It is also a space for learning, experimentation, collaboration, and building relationships between communities.
The Festival’s Journey
Festival Editions
First Edition
2017
Festival Felem Orang Gunung was first organised in 2017.
The first edition introduced the festival as a shared platform for filmmakers and film communities emerging from villages across Minahasa.
Second Edition
2022 — Ampreng, Langowan
The second edition was held on 24 June 2022 at the Ampreng Village Hall in Langowan.
BPAN Pengurus Kampung Ampreng became the Makawale, or host community. The programme included a film workshop, a film appreciation space, and a parade of film screenings.
The edition was organised collectively by PUKKAT, Smartphone Movement, Mawale Movement, Mapatik, BPAN, and the participating communities and filmmakers.
Third Edition
2026 — In Preparation
The third Festival Felem Orang Gunung is being prepared for 2026.
The next edition will continue the festival’s journey from village to village, strengthen community-based filmmaking, and open more space for films and stories growing from Minahasa.
My Involvement
I am involved in Festival Felem Orang Gunung as one of its initiators and as part of the wider network of filmmakers, Indigenous youth, and cultural communities that sustain the festival.
My involvement connects with the work of Wuwuk Film and Smartphone Movement: developing audiovisual knowledge in villages, supporting young people in producing their own stories, and creating spaces where those stories can be watched and discussed by their own communities.
Festival Felem Orang Gunung is not an individual project. It grows through collective labour, shared resources, host communities, and long-term relationships among people working across Minahasa.
Working Together
Collaboration
Festival Felem Orang Gunung welcomes collaboration with villages, Indigenous communities, filmmakers, cultural organisations, screening spaces, and others interested in supporting community-based cinema.
For film screenings, partnerships, programme collaborations, or support for future editions, please get in touch.
Contact Me