Yogyakarta, December 1st 2023─Ajisaka 2024 held a pre-event Janamejaya with a movie screening and interactive discussion entitled “Nature Conservation: Empowering Youth Advocacy through Digital Media Creation” on Friday (01/12). On this occasion, a documentary film titled “Tanah Moyangku” by Watchdoc was premiered offline at the FISIPOL Auditorium on the 4th floor. The film is a discussion starter about human neglect of Indonesia’s nature and how the youth advocacy movement and digital media can be sustainable in addressing nature conservation issues. In accordance with the theme carried by Ajisaka this year, Nature Conservation entitled “Samarthya Bumi: Every life is precious, every action is meaningful”.
The presence of increasingly diverse media platforms provides both challenges and opportunities for advocacy issues. One of them is advocacy media through cinematic works in the form of films. The documentary “Tanah Moyangku” by the director, Edy Purwanto, brings up the issue of agrarian conflict in Indonesia. It is known that agrarian conflicts in Indonesia in the last 10 years reached 2,701 cases between companies and communities.
“The movie is one form of advocacy. As Mas Edy explained, this movie took two years, long research, and careful shooting or footage to make a memorable story,” said Ary Lesmana, World Resources Indonesia (WRI).
According to Edy, the role of the younger generation to address environmental issues relevant to this era is the approach to change behavior. Supporting factors for this behavior change include channels such as the medium used and peer influence such as peers as drivers. The environmental issue campaign channel that Watchdoc is promoting through digital media such as social media is expected to reach further audiences and create agents of change.
“Movies are not only spectacles but (also) awareness, generating discussions and more real social movements,” Edy explained.
Meanwhile, the 2024 Ajisaka Festival presents a new color by holding an inaugural competition, namely “Dewi Sinta” or the Nusantara Communication Entrepreneurship Parade, which focuses on the field of entrepreneurship. Other competitions, namely Arjuna, Krishna, Prahasta, and Sadewa, are ready to compete with the stunning ideas of the participating creative people.