Indonesia’s Pal8 Pictures Producing Adaptation Of ‘The Sea Speaks His Name’, Starring Reza Rahadian
Indonesian production house Pal8 Pictures unveiled its debut feature at JAFF Market today, an adaptation of best-selling novel The Sea Speaks His Name (Laut Bercerita), set to star Reza Rahadian, Eva Celia Latjuba (Shadow Strays) and Dian Sastrowardoyo (Cigarette Girl).
Leila Chudori, the writer of the novel, which was previously made into a short film also starring Rahadian, will serve as co-producer on the film. The cast also includes Yunita Siregar (Home Sweet Loan), Arswendy Bening Swara (Tale Of The Land), and Christine Hakim (On Your Lap), with more cast members yet to be announced.
The novel follows a student activist fighting for labour rights during the final years of the New Order regime in 1998. Chudori has said she was inspired by real-life activists who went missing in 1998 and, to this day, have never been officially declared alive or dead by the government.
The film will be directed by Yosep Anggi Noen (24 Hours With Gaspar), whose 2016 film, Solo, Solitude, explored the life of Wiji Thukul, a poet and activist who disappeared during the 1998 unrest.
Pal8 Pictures, a production house under Tempo, one of Indonesia’s biggest and oldest media companies, is producing the film with VMS Studio, Jagartha, Lynx and Brandlink.
Gita Fara, who recently produced Rahadian’s award-winning directorial debut On Your Lap, is on board as producer, reprising her role from the short film, while Budi Setyarso serves as executive producer. The other collaborators will serve as co-producers. The film is currently in production.
Chudori has written multiple historical fiction novels and short story compilations, along with a teleplay World Without Comma (Dunia Tanpa Koma) in 2006, also starring Dian Sastrowardoyo.
First published in 2017, The Sea Speaks His Name has since been reprinted 124 times and has been translated into English, published by Penguin Random House SEA. It remains one of Indonesia’s most acclaimed works of literary fiction.
