Carol Khorramchahi
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A man stands near a waterfall in Papua, Indonesia. Asso Myron. Unsplash.
A film about Papua has become a test of free expression in Indonesia. The documentary, “Pesta Babi: Kolonialisme di Zaman Kita,” or “Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time,” examines alleged human rights abuses, Indigenous land seizures and environmental destruction in Papua in relation to state-backed food estate projects. Directed by investigative journalist Dandhy Dwi Laksono and anthropologist Cypri Paju Dale, the film began circulating through community screenings in March 2026 before its official online release on May 22, 2026. Organizers say authorities and security forces disrupted multiple public screenings. The government denied ordering a ban, but the pattern left a clear impression: Papua’s story was being treated as dangerous to show in public.
The crackdown intensified in May. A screening at the University of Mataram was shut down on May 7, 2026, and a military officer blocked a projector during another screening at Khairun University in Ternate on May 12. By May 14, the film’s distributor, Watchdoc, had documented at least 21 cases of intimidation, monitoring or forced cancellation connected to screenings in different parts of Indonesia.
This is not only a film’s story. It is a Papua story. For years, rights groups have documented restrictions on journalists and monitors in the region, arguing that limited access makes accountability harder and rumors easier to spread. The film’s crackdown matters because it suggests that even public discussion inside Indonesia is being constrained, not just foreign reporting.
The documentary lands amid a broader debate about land, extraction, and security operations. Human Rights Watch has reported allegations that security forces in Papua have committed abuses, such as arbitrary arrests, torture, killings and forced displacement. They also document conflict involving Papuan pro-independence fighters and a heavy military presence in the area. A recent Indigenous rights overview also notes that Indonesia’s national human rights commission monitored dozens of alleged violations in Papua in 2025, many linked to security operations and conflict in customary territories.
The film’s title points to culture. A pig feast is a ceremony with deep social and traditional meaning in certain regions of Papua. That is part of what makes the documentary’s approach powerful: it ties ecological destruction and state power to lived Indigenous identity, not just policy. When screenings are interrupted, it is not only one movie director being silenced. It is a community’s ability to narrate what is happening to their land and their lives being taken away.
In reporting on the crackdown, The Straits Times described how screenings were disrupted in multiple cities and quoted a social media message from the filmmakers thanking supporters for turning “every inch of land into a cinema.” That line captures the moment. If a film cannot be safely screened in public, people will find other ways. The bigger question is, why should they have to?
The film is still available to watch. After the disruptions, the filmmakers officially uploaded the complete documentary to the Jubi TV YouTube channel on May 22, 2026, making it accessible both inside Indonesia and internationally. It received more than six million views within three days, suggesting that attempts to restrict public screenings only expanded interest in the film. Readers can watch “Pesta Babi” on Jubi TV’s official YouTube channel.
Papua’s story has long been urgent. This week, it is also immediate. A government that is confident in its record does not need to chase projectors out of rooms.
GET INVOLVED:
Follow reporting and rights documentation through Al Jazeera’s coverage, Human Rights Watch’s Papua work, and Indigenous rights monitoring from IWGIA. For broader updates on humanitarian conditions and conflict impacts, track Papua-related briefs via ReliefWeb.
Carol Khorramchahi
Carol Khorramchahi is a student at Boston University, where she studies English and Psychology and minors in Journalism. She enjoys writing and reporting on stories that bring together culture, identity, and community, and has experience in both newsroom reporting and digital media. She is especially interested in thoughtful storytelling with a global lens.