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Preserving Cultural Heritage Through Film : Jaranan

Silvia Indriyani on the set of film Pairing’s shooting, Nov 2020. Credit photo: Pius Kung.

Silvia Indriyani on the set of film Pairing’s shooting, Nov 2020. Credit photo: Pius Kung.

Jaranan is a traditional Javanese folk dance, where the dancers riding woven bamboo horses, often in a trance-like or possessed state. This performance which serves as both entertainment and ancestral ritual often involving mystical elements. Hence the role of Pawang or shaman is very important.


Silvia Indriyani is a multi-talented Indonesian artist who resides in Melbourne. Apart from practising textile art she also involves in film making. Assisting her indi-film maker husband, Marcus Salvagno, Indri was involved in the making of documentary film Jathilan Jaranan in 2017. And since then, the dream of making Jaranan as a feature film was born.

After years of further research and writing the script, finally Indri is ready to conduct the casting. When asked why she is so enthusiastic about taking Jaranan to the big screen, Indri explains that it is her way of preserving folklore. She believes that behind the story, Jaranan is full of Javanese mysticism and philosophy. In particular she also wants to showcase the daily life of people in the 1990-s in her hometown, Malang.

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