SLAVE ISLAND

Belgium, Estonia, Taiwan, Italy, Indonesia | 2025 | 93 min | col.
Indonesian

During the colonial era, the Indonesian island of Sumba was infamous for its slave markets, which were run by royal families. Although slavery was legally abolished, its practice is continued to this day. Servants – known as ‘ata’ – are property of families belonging to superior castes, the ‘maramba.’ Belgian director Jimmy Hendrickx made this film along with activist Jeremy Kewuan. He follows the latter, determined to report this abominable injustice, as he meets Lucky, a man who is proud of his right to own slaves, and his little servants Witta, Rangga, and Kedo. When one of the three children disappears, Jeremy’s mission to eradicate human trafficking becomes personal. With the help of Mama Lima, who also was Lucky’s slave as a child, Jeremy tracks down Witta and seeks to nail the slaveholder and his abject beliefs. This shocking documentary shows that the path to respecting of the most basic human rights is still long. (A.S.)