On the second day of the festival, the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF) screened Pangku (On Your Lap), the directorial debut of Reza Rahadian and winner of the 2025 FFI Citra Award for Best Picture. Pangku competes alongside ten other Asian films in the Main Competition program. The film follows the journey of Sartika, a single mother who does everything she can to secure a better future for her child. Over the course of 100 minutes, audiences were drawn into Sartika’s moving story, supported by honest and grounded screen writing by Felix Nesi and Reza Rahadian.
The screening of Pangku at JAFF20 received an enthusiastic response, with the cinema filled to capacity. One audience member shared their impression: “I also just had my first child, and I’m working too, so Sartika’s role feels really close to me.” She praised the film’s gentle storytelling, its quiet pauses, and the detailed nuances of its setting, all of them are elements that strengthened the impact of Reza’s first outing as a director.
During the post-screening Q&A session, Reza recalled walking along major roads with his mother as she searched for work during a period of mass layoffs. It’s an experience that inspired his decision to set the film in 1998. He also revealed the story behind the character Pak Jaya (played by Jose Rizal Manua), who remains completely silent throughout the film. “That space is actually the quietest space in my life as a child raised by a single mother,” he explained. Through Pak Jaya, Reza wanted to highlight the role and affection of men, who often expressed without words.
With the deeply personal stories that shaped it, it is no surprise that Pangku resonates so strongly and emotionally with many viewers. The film will be screened again at JAFF20 on Monday, 1 December 2025 at Empire XXI Studio 2 at 15:15 WIB.
Writer : Gulma Zahra Auradatu
Photos: JAFF Documentation Team
