According To The variety Loeloe Hendra, whose feature debut “Tale of the Land” won the Fipresci Award at the Busan International Film Festival and screened at the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival, has a new project selected for the JAFF Future Project with “A Life Full of Holes,” a drama about Indonesian migrant workers.
The Indonesia production, directed by Hendra and produced by Indra Yudhitya, Dewi Umaya and Hendra through production company Onomastika Films, is among 10 Asia-Pacific titles selected for the JAFF Future Project at this year’s JAFF Market in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.“A Life Full of Holes” follows 17-year-old Sula, who carries the weight of a fractured family after her mother, Lastri, leaves to work as a migrant worker in Taiwan and her father abandons them for another woman. While dreaming of becoming a famous content creator, Sula works in a small shop and cares for her two younger siblings with almost no financial support. Fear rises when an ambulance returns the body of a migrant worker and Lastri cannot be reached. After being evicted due to her father’s debts, Sula and her siblings move in with an uncaring uncle. Determined to find her mother, she seeks help from her boyfriend, Agus, and contacts Sri, a senior migrant worker, eventually securing a chance to go to Taiwan with Cak Nan, a musician invited to perform there. In Taiwan, Sula discovers her mother is frail and hiding a painful secret: Lastri lives with an abusive migrant partner and has a child with him. After Lastri dies in a work accident, Sula returns home with grief and a new sibling. Though she rises to become a famous content creator, she can never restore her family’s lost unity. For Hendra, the project represents deeply personal territory. “I grew up without parents. Since childhood, both my parents worked as migrant workers abroad,” the director says. “Behind the phrase ‘for a better future,’ lies an invisible wound — children who grew up without love and parental figures. This film is a voice for those who have long been silent, facing stigma and being labeled abandoned.”As the child of migrant workers, Hendra knows what it feels like to be considered a burden and endure ridicule. “This story reflects me, and millions of other migrant children,” he says. “This film highlights that the struggle of migrant children is not only about waiting for their parents to return home, but also about surviving emotionally.”
The title serves as an analogy for the lives of migrant workers trapped in a cycle of hope and harsh reality: divorce, abandoned children, violence. “This film is important as a bridge to collective awareness, a tribute to those who survive, and an encouragement to create a more caring environment,” Hendra says.The producers emphasized the urgency of the subject matter, noting that the film is rooted in the anxiety surrounding the realities of Indonesian migrant workers, which touch millions of families. Of the 9.2 million migrant workers, nearly half are illegal, facing the risk of abuse, exploitation and the loss of their human rights.
“Behind these numbers are rarely heard stories: children deprived of parental love, families torn apart, and women struggling alone in a foreign land,” the producers say. “For Loeloe, this story is deeply personal — he is the son of migrant worker parents. This authentic perspective strengthens the story.”Through an intimate and realistic approach, the film depicts the love, pain and longing within a migrant family — a universal issue. Production will take place in Java and Taiwan, involving local talent to maintain cultural authenticity.
At JAFF Market, the filmmakers aim to connect with local investors and prospective international co-production partners who can support and collaborate in bringing the project to fruition. The film is planned to be shot in Indonesia as well as abroad, specifically in countries with the largest number of Indonesian migrant workers, with Taiwan as one of the key locations.
We hope this film opens important conversations about migration and becomes a voice for Indonesia on the international stage,” the producers say.
The project is currently in development. JAFF Future Project functions as both a development platform and co-production hub, designed to advance independent works toward completion and distribution. The initiative runs Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at the Jogja Expo Center in Yogyakarta as part of the broader 20th-anniversary celebration of the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival.
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