UPI Alumna Filmmaker Selected for MTN Lab: Gorontalo Residency 2025
Figure 1. Annisa Faradhila poses in front of the MTN Residency Gorontalo poster. (Source: FPSD Press, 2025)
Bandung, December 1, 2025-Gorontalo 25 November, 2025. Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) proudly announces that Annisa Faradila (Afa) a filmmaker and alumna of the Film and Television Study Program, Faculty of Art and Design Education (FPSD) UPI has been selected as one of the participating artists in MTN Lab: Residensi Gorontalo 2025.
As part of the Indonesian government’s National Talent Management (MTN) initiative for Arts and Culture, this residency aims to identify, nurture, and promote emerging artistic talents at both national and international levels. The two-week residency gathered 29 artists and 8 curators in a collaborative environment centered on research, fieldwork, and artistic experimentation under the theme “Sangkut Paut”.
“Musim-musim Pulang”: A Visual Meditation on Return and Seasonal Longing
Figure 2. Portrait of Annisa Faradila during residency or on-site research activities. (Source: FPSD Press, 2025)
In the exhibition held from November 25 to December 2, 2025 at Hartdisk Studio and Riden Baruadi Gallery, Faradila presented an experimental installation titled “Musim-musim Pulang” (The Seasons of Returning). The work combines analog 35mm film, hand-processed reversal imagery, slide projection, and environmental soundscape.
Inspired by the Nike (Duwo) fish season a natural phenomenon in Gorontalo where tiny fish appear only during specific lunar phases Faradila explores themes of anticipation, memory, and homecoming. The Nike fish’s unpredictable appearance has long been known by locals as “the fish of longing.”
Drawing from her own experience returning from years of living away, Faradila’s work reflects a personal and cultural connection to the region especially as she was raised in Palu, a coastal area sharing similar ecological and culinary traditions.
Technique and Material: Hand-Processed Reversal Film & Constructed Archives
Figure 3. Portrait of Annisa Faradila during residency or on-site research activities. (Source: FPSD Press, 2025)
Faradila manually processed her 35mm analog film using a reversal hand-process technique, producing direct positive images that function as intimate physical archives. The installation features 36 photographic slides projected in a continuous loop accompanied by a soundscape recorded on the shores of Leato Utara. Through what she defines as “false archives,” Faradila reconstructs memory by blending documentation with imagination, inviting viewers into a sensory meditation on waiting, departure, and return.
MTN Lab: A Platform for Emerging Artists
Figure 4. Group photo of residency participants or workshop sessions. (Source: FPSD Press, 2025)
MTN Lab continues to establish itself as one of Indonesia’s most vital platforms for emerging artists, offering structured mentorship, interdisciplinary dialogue, and context-driven artistic development. Faradila’s participation highlights UPI’s contribution in nurturing young talents in contemporary media and the arts.
By Mochamad Adi Putra, Contributor FPSD Press
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