Ironic doesn’t begin to describe the idea that Penyalin Cahaya (English title: Photocopier), a celebrated Indonesian film about sexual harassment, has the fingerprints of a man accused of sexual harassment, after allegations against a key crew member surfaced yesterday.
Produced by Kaninga Pictures and Rekata Studio, a digital media company of Kompas Gramedia Group, Photocopier is centered on the injustices that survivors of sexual violence and harassment face in Indonesia.
Yesterday, Kaninga Pictures and Rekata Studio released a statement acknowledging a report bringing up the unnamed crew member’s past as an alleged sexual harasser. The studios claimed they were unaware of his troubled history during the production of the film, and asserted that they’re committed to providing a “safe space free from sexual harassment and will always side with the survivors.”
Pernyataan Sikap @rekatastudio & @kaningapictures pic.twitter.com/qheLZ576Ly
— Kaninga Pictures (@kaningapictures) January 10, 2022
“As an ethical responsibility to their commitment and to respect the report and the process that will take place after, we have decided to remove the name of the reported party from the credits of Photocopier and the film’s publication materials. The reported party is no longer a part of the Photocopier film and Rekata Studio,” the statement reads.
The debut feature film from director Wregas Bhanuteja snagged 12 awards out of 17 nominations at the 2021 FFI (Indonesian Film Festival), including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
Photocopier is set to stream on Netflix starting this Thursday, but there have been calls for the platform to pull the plug on the film amid the controversy.
Also Read — Netflix to stream Indonesian drama ‘Photocopier’ starting Jan. 13
At the time of writing, Netflix Indonesia has yet to release a statement regarding Photocopier.
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