Terlena: Breaking of a Nation

TERLENA - BREAKING OF A NATION Terlena = to forget, to be off guard "TERLENA - Breaking of a Nation" is a documentary about Indonesia and its people who are unaware of their recent history. The society still believes the propaganda created by one general and his army. This independently produced documentary gives voices to those silenced during the dictatorship of Soeharto (1965 - 1998). September 30, 1965, seven high ranking Indonesian officers were killed over night. The Communist Party of Indonesia - PKI - was immediately blamed for the event and the army led by General Soeharto started a manhunt. Countless arrests and mass killings followed. Members of the Communist Party, nationalists, religous groups, ethnic Chinese and anybody who supported President Soekarno were targeted. All adversaries to Soeharto's "New Order" were to be destroyed. These events were linked to the global struggle of the cold war, but what started as a political plot to gain power in Indonesia, quickly turned into a human tragedy. Hundreds of thousands were killed and those who didn't lose their lives were imprisoned and stigmatized as traitors for life. The documentary "TERLENA - Breaking of a Nation" takes an in-depth look at the effects of Soeharto's dictatorship both on a cultural and personal level. How has the culture been altered? What are the consequences for Indonesian society in the long term? People from the country's cultural and scientific community share their ordeals and views. Voices are reaching out from a prolonged silence, and these voices are Indonesian. It is time to rewrite the history of Indonesia!