Speaking Nearby in Indonesian Environmental Documentary

This chapter analyses the intersections between contemporary environmental and social issues in the documentary Tanah Ibu Kami (Our Mothers’ Land, 2020) by Indonesian filmmaker and investigative journalist, Febriana Firdaus. The film, which is accessible on various online platforms, represents the voices and experiences of women activists and community members dealing with the negative impact of the extractive industry in different parts of their archipelagic homeland. Its personalized narratives and intimate portrayal of the encounters between women give audiences insight into the complexity and urgency of the environmental problems Indonesia and the world are grappling with. I argue that Firdaus’s interview strategies, combined with the film’s audio-visual aesthetics, provide examples of empathic and empowering forms of “speaking nearby.”