Wisisi Nit Meke (Our Wisisi Music)
Documentary / 40 min / 2023 / Indonesia, UAE
Papuan Film Festival | Jayapura | 2023
Indonesian Film Festival | Jakarta | 2023 | Best Short Documentary
Jogja NETPAC Asian Film Festival | Yogyakarta | 2023
Festival Film Dokumenter | Yogyakarta | 2023
Sharjah Film Platform | Sharjah | 2023
Norient Festival | Bern | 2024
Taipei Fine Arts Museum | Taipei | 2024
WOMEX | Manchester | 2024
Festival Film Tengah | Palu | 2025
Amis Indigenous Music Festival | Taitung | 2025
Transmediale | Berlin | 2026
Music has long been an accompaniment to the lives of West Papuans, which to a certain extent can turn into a weapon. After several decades, Wisisi is here to fill the absence of authentic ‘Papuan music’. Through an encounter between modern technology and the rituals of the people in the central mountainous region of West Papua, Nikolas, Asep, and other youths transformed Wisisi and Pesek into a popular electronic music offering with a rocking Aster shuffle. From self-distribution mode such as Bluetooth transfer, to YouTube algorithm recommendations, Wisisi is now a contemporary music that is not only loved in West Papua, but also by many in other parts of the world.
Arief Budiman 