A young Dayak Iban girl growing up in the forests of central Borneo follows ancient connections to earn the gift of a story – how her community united to stop logging companies and government officials from taking their lands amid rampant deforestation.
Throughout the island of Borneo, an explosion of palm oil plantations has led to mass deforestation and forced many Indigenous Peoples to allow logging of their sacred forests in exchange for immediate profits. However, in the Indonesian village of Sungai Utik, elders of the Dayak Iban people have been able to repel these extractive companies and protect the surrounding forests. This short documentary, written and directed by 18-year-old Sungai Utik filmmaker Kynan Tegar, follows a young girl who makes a magical discovery while out in the woods, and learns of the brave deeds of her elders. Indai Apai Darah is a love letter to the trees, rivers and birds that surround Kynan’s village, as well as to the aging leaders who were able to safeguard their livelihoods. As Sungai Utik elder Apai Janggut says in the film “The Earth is our mother, the forest is our father, and the river is our blood.
August 1, 2024
Growing up in and around the forested village of Sungai Utik and learning from the elders, Kynan Tegar continues to tell the stories of resistance in the face of colonization taught to him.
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June 12, 2024
Through customary law and collective decision-making, an Indigenous community protected an estimated 1.31 million metric tons of forest-based carbon.
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April 18, 2024
Nia Tero’s podcast episode tells the story of how the Dayak Iban People won a fight for their forest in Indonesia through the perspective of a young Indigenous filmmaker.
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