Help Is On The Way

Add Poster
Image

Help Is On The Way brings to the screen a busy training centre in Indonesia, that prepares women to work overseas as domestic workers. It is at times an emotional journey, but also funny, enlightening and a little competitive, offering a unique insight into a lifestyle not often seen on screen.

Every year, thousands of predominately Muslim women like Sukma, Meri, Muji and Tari aspire to work in countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. They are among the many women from rural areas recruited by local agents who are remunerated after successfully seeing their recruits enrolled. At the school they learn language skills and elderly care, preparing themselves for the work they will undertake overseas.

There are many reasons for women to work abroad, such as; to support their family, escape their family or to experience a sense of independence and excitement. Negotiations with family are carefully handled, as they are not always happy to see their loved ones go abroad, for what will be years, whilst other families are happy. While the women bring income that can alleviate their family poverty, at what cost and are they really improving their lives?

Help Is On The Way explores the lives of the various women that undertake the required training and development. Lucky students find work within weeks. Others see themselves waiting almost 12 months, draining their family wealth while hoping for a successful interview result. It also explores the role of the agents, teachers, and personnel at the school as well as current workers in Taiwan.

Ismail Fahmi Lubis

Director

Tarling Is Darling
Nick Calpakdjian

Producer

Songbird
Mark Olsen

Producer

Songbird
Ismail Fahmi Lubis

Cinematographer

Tarling Is Darling

Project Type:

Documentary
Genres:

Soicial Issue, Women, Migration
Runtime:

1 hour 30 minutes
Completion Date:

November 30, 2019
Country of Origin:

Indonesia
Country of Filming:

Indonesia, Taiwan
Language:

Chinese, English, Indonesian
Shooting Format:

Digital
Aspect Ratio:

16:9
Film Color:

Color
First-time Filmmaker:

No
Student Project:

No

Piala Citra Festival Film Indonesia 2019

Indonesia
Winner: Best Feature Documentary
Taiwan International Documentary Festival

Taipei
Taiwan
May 7, 2020
Asia
Official Selection (Asian Vision Competition)
Hong Kong International Documentary Festival

Hong Kong
Hong Kong
November 21, 2020
International Doc Competition
EBS International Documentary Film Festival

Korea, Republic of
August 17, 2020
Korea
JOGJA-NETPAC Asian Film Festival

Yogyakarta
Indonesia
November 27, 2020
Official Selection: Asian Perspectives
Festival Film Dokumentar

Yogyakarta
Indonesia
November 27, 2020
Winner - Best Indonesian Documentary
Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival 2020

Kathmandu
Nepal
December 10, 2020
Official Selection
Dili International Film Festival

Dili
Timor-Leste
October 1, 2020
Country
Official Selection
Bali International Film Festival

Bali
Indonesia
May 27, 2021
Official Selection
Indonesia Film Festival

Melbourne
Australia
April 1, 2021
Australian Premiere
Official Selection
Thin Line Film Festival

Texas
United States
March 24, 2021
North American Premiere
Official Selection
Pakistan International Mountain Film Festival

Pakistan
Official Selection

Distribution Information

Filmotor

Sales Agent

Country: Worldwide

Rights: All Rights, Internet

Director Biography - Ismail Fahmi Lubis

Ismail is one of Indonesia’s premiere documentary filmmakers.

Upon graduating from Institut Kesenian (Institute of Arts) Jakarta in 1993, majoring in Film and Directing, he directed several Indonesian drama series before switching his focus to documentary in 1998. As a cinematographer, Ismail has worked with notable filmmakers including Leonard Retel Helmrich and Cathy Henkel. He has also worked as a tutor for Documentary Master Classes at the Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFEST) in 2006 and 2007.

Ismail has directed two feature documentaries; Masked Monkey - The Evolution of Darwin’s Theory (2014) and Tarling is Darling (2017). Tarling is Darling premiered at Busan International FIlm Festival. Both films screened at the Taiwan International Film Festival with Tarling is Darling winning a Special Jury Mention award in 2018.

Add Director Biography

Director Statement

Women of varied ages, many barely out of their teenage years, look to work overseas. Often they not only seek to support themselves, but also the needs of their families. While many women choose freely to undertake this kind of work, many also do so through a sense of obligation. Basic needs are often what drives the women to work overseas. The need to pay for children's education, pay back debt or to support their parents. Working abroad gives them the chance to earn more than they could by working at home. For some it’s also an adventure.

In today’s modern society, basic needs are often mixed with newfound wants. All kinds of products come at us in tantalizing ways. Consumerism may once have been something more prevalent in the cities, but has now crept into the countryside. Access to online media sources has shown those that once may have been uninformed, what is happening outside their village. As a result, many seek to be included in this outside world. In countries like Indonesia, where options for the unskilled are few, they venture abroad. It’s their ticket to a perceived better life. But at what cost?

I have chosen to tell this story to highlight the struggle that individuals, particularly women, face within Indonesia’s work-force and family situation. And in doing so, I can explore issues such as gender equality. The women head off to work while the men stay home. What will this reversal of roles, result in? Do the men support it... or does it give them an excuse to have, another life? These are some of the questions I hope to find answers to.