Private Project

From Field to Feast: Wulla Poddu Rites in West Sumba

'Wulla Poddu dan Padi' or 'From Field to Feast: Wulla Poddu Rites in West Sumba' is a documentary that records the traces of an ethnographic research on a ritual in which apparently there is one important part that is often not widely discussed, namely how the Wulla Poddu ritual is interpreted as gratitude for the previous year's rice harvest as well as hope the best results for the next planting period.

  • Widya Arafah
    Director
  • Widya Arafah
    Writer
  • Irfan Nugraha
    Producer
  • Sinema Sora
    Production House
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Wulla Poddu dan Padi
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 32 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Indonesia
  • Country of Filming:
    Indonesia
  • Language:
    Indonesian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • ReelOzInd! Australia Indonesia Short Film Festival
    Melbourne
    Australia
    October 1, 2023
    Finalist
  • World Food Forum Film Festival
    Roma
    Italy
    October 16, 2023
    Finalist
  • Denpasar Documentary Film Festival
    Bali
    Indonesia
    Finalist
  • COLIFFE
    Roma
    Italy
    December 6, 2023
    Finalist
  • International Short Film Festival on Cultural Tourism
    Mumbai
    India
    December 1, 2023
    Finalist
Director Biography - Widya Arafah

Widya's passion for becoming a Film Director began in junior high, and she has pursued this dream relentlessly. Over the past eight years, she's created numerous films, leading to her roles as the Chairman of the filmmaking communities 3CINEMA and FIKTIF in her school and university. Through these experiences, she has honed her craft and garnered recognition, including screenings at prestigious film festivals and exhibitions like the 17th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival 2022, ReelOzInd! Australia Indonesia Short Film Festival 2023, World Food Forum Film Festival 2023, and International Children's Film Fest 2023. Yet, Widya sees these achievements as the beginning of her journey towards becoming the Film Director she aspires to be.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When discussing the Wulla Poddu rites with researchers, they told me that Wulla Poddu is a ritual for human re-creation. However, the steps of the ritual didn't disclose the meaning. I tried to find the puzzle in the literature and discussions, but I didn't get the answer. Because of that, I asked Thara, one of the dancers in the Wulla Poddu ritual, to share her story. From the discussion, I found a common thread: the human re-creation in this ritual is very close to the materiality of rice. How the community conveys gratitude and blessings, as well as the rice planting cycle, are elements that I found to fill in the puzzle of the meaning of human re-creation.