Private Project

Pulling The Threads - Nak Mule Keto

Miss Universe Indonesia 2022, Laksmi DeNeefe Suardana, embarks on a personal journey to rediscover her Balinese culture through the intricate art of Geringsing, a rare and ancient weaving technique practised in only three locations worldwide: Japan, India and… Tenganan Pegringsingan, home to Bali's indigenous Bali Aga people. By pulling the threads that bind this unique society, Laksmi uncovers the resilience of a community determined to preserve its traditions and maintain balance amidst Bali's dynamic transformation.

  • Joseph J.U. Taylor
    Director
    The Whip Fighters of Indonesia (2025 - ZDF ARTE TV Doc); The Path (2025 - Short); Indonesia's Best Ever Destinations (2021 - Discovery Networks TV Special); Indonesia's Best Ever Eats (2021 - Discovery Networks TV Special); Australians in Covid (2019 - ABC TV Doc); Promoter in Paradise (2019 - Pilot); Dark Waters (2018 - ABC TV Episode); Whale Watching (2018) (Short); 3000 Hands (2013 - Short)
  • Joseph J.U. Taylor
    Writer
    The Whip Fighters of Indonesia (2025 - ZDF ARTE TV Doc); Life of Time (2025 - Short); The Path (2025 - Short); Indonesia's Best Ever Destinations (2021 - Discover Networks TV Special); Indonesia's Best Ever Eats (2021 - Discovery Networks TV Special); Promoter in Paradise (2019 - Pilot); Dark Waters (2018 - ABC TV Episode); Whale Watching (2018 - Short); 3000 Hands (2013 - Short)
  • Joe Yaggi
    Producer
    Producer:- Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso(2023 - Netflix Doc); David Blaine: Do Not Attempt (2025 - Nat Geo Doc Series); Indonesia's Best Ever Destinations (2021 - Discovery Network TV Special); Indonesia's Best Ever Eats (2021 - Discovery Network TV Special); Promoter in Paradise (2019 - Short) Co-Director:- Indonesia's Best Ever Destinations (2021 - Discovery Network TV Special); Indonesia's Best Ever Eats (2021 - Discovery Networks TV Special); Manager:- Postcard From Earth (2023 - Sphere Entertainment Feature); Last Chance to See (2009 - BBC TV Doc)
  • Joseph J.U. Taylor
    Producer
    The Whip Fighters of Indonesia (2025 - ZDF/ARTE TV Doc); Life of Time (2025 - Short); The Path (2025 - Short); Cocain Quaterback (2025 - Amazon TV Doc); Das Traumschiff (2024 - ZDF TV Series); Lost in Paradise: Luchsinger and the Gods (2022 - Feature); Indonesia's Best Ever Destinations (2021 - Discovery Network TV Special); Indonesia's Best Ever Eats (2021 - Discovery Network TV Special); Benefited (2019 - Feature) - Associate Producer; Promoter in Paradise (2019 - Pilot); Dark Waters (2018 - ABC TV Episode); Whale Watching (2018 - Short); Tina Arena: Reset Live - The Concert Film (2016 - Concert Video) Unit Producer; Sport (2015 -Short); 3000 Hands (2013 - Short).
  • Laksmi DeNeefe Suardana
    Producer
  • Laksmi DeNeefe Suardana
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Indonesia
  • Country of Filming:
    Indonesia
  • Language:
    English, Indonesian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Full Frame
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Not yet screened
Distribution Information
  • No distributor attached.
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
  • Jungle Run Productions
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Joseph J.U. Taylor

Joseph’s life could be an adventure movie. Born in New Zealand, he spent over twenty-five years as a Biologist in some of the most remote islands of Indonesia. He married a Balinese warrior princess and then changed tack, sailing to Australia to launch a career in film.
After seven years of living on the boat and making movies, he returned to Southeast Asia to tell stories that matter with a cross-cultural focus and resides in Indonesia where he is a registered film director.
Joseph directed, wrote, and produced the television pilot "Soulbeats" and two television specials - for Discovery Network. He produced the Swiss feature, “Luchsinger and the Gods” and the TV movie “Das Traumschiff Nusantara” (ZDF, Germany) and in 2024 directed, produced and wrote the Documentary “The Whip Fighters of Indonesia” for ZDF and ARTE (France).
As a screenwriter, Joseph has received development funding from the New Zealand Film Commission, and New Zealand Writers Guild. As an actor, he has credits on Home and Away (7 Australia), The Singapore Grip (ITV), Strike Back (HBO), and Dev Patel’s Monkey Man (Universal).
Joseph is currently editing the documentary RIDER, the story of a female Wall of Death performer from Sumatra, Indonesia and in early pre-production for a feature film THE WALL inspired by the same topic.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The heart of Pulling the Threads is a search for identity, not just personal, but cultural. Laksmi, our guide, is a third-culture child drawn back to her ancestral roots in Bali. Her journey explores heritage, continuity in an ever-changing world. Through her eyes, we enter Tenganan, a remote Bali Aga village that practices a rare and sacred form of double ikat weaving – one of only three places in the world where this intricate craft continues. Moreover, the people of Tengana follow an ancient code or “Awig-Awig”. Guiding principles that keep them in touch with nature, humanity and spirituality.
We used different aspect ratios to distinguish between the personal and the cultural: widescreen anamorphic frames the vérité immersion of Tenganan, while formal 16:9 interviews with Laksmi give us space to reflect on her inner world and the cultural weight she’s come to bear. The tension between preserving a tradition and monetising it for survival is palpable. What happens when a living tradition becomes a commodity? Can Tenganan’s unique worldview, so distinct from mainstream Bali, withstand the pressures of mass tourism and modernity?
I was drawn to this story not only for its aesthetic richness but for its universal themes. Pulling the Threads is about more than fabric. It’s about what we choose to hold on to in a world constantly unravelling.