Indonesia's finest

Peter Sellars explains why the future of film lies in Java.

With the passing of artists like Bergman and Antonioni, who will be among the great names of world cinema for a new generation? Garin Nugroho is a name that is definitely going to be on that list. His are works that, like Bergman's and Antonioni's, are made in the spirit of the artist, with no apologies; taking the highest that art has to offer, and in so doing transforming the language of cinema itself.

Nugroho is Indonesia's leading film-maker, creating a new level of artistic and political interest in Indonesian film. We in New Crowned Hope (the arts festival celebrating Mozart's 250th birthday) were looking for film-makers who could make films that were content-rich and at the same time were real works of art. Garin Nugroho seemed the obvious artist to make a film for New Crowned Hope, and Opera Jawa is that film.