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RAI FILM
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About
About RAI Film
Meet the team
Prices
Film Distribution
Watch on demand
Ethnographic Film Catalogue
Teaching resources
RAI Film Festival
About RAI Film Festival
Film Festival 2025
Film Festival 2025 Group passes
Film Festival prizes and awards
Film Conference 2025
Archive of past editions
RAI FILM
Login
Facebook
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Twitter
About
About RAI Film
Meet the team
Prices
Film Distribution
Watch on demand
Ethnographic Film Catalogue
Teaching resources
RAI Film Festival
About RAI Film Festival
Film Festival 2025
Film Festival 2025 Group passes
Film Festival prizes and awards
Film Conference 2025
Archive of past editions
Menu
About
About RAI Film
Meet the team
Prices
Film Distribution
Watch on demand
Ethnographic Film Catalogue
Teaching resources
RAI Film Festival
About RAI Film Festival
Film Festival 2025
Film Festival 2025 Group passes
Film Festival prizes and awards
Film Conference 2025
Archive of past editions
Login
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Films
found one film
Country
“Indonesia”
x
Keywords
“Prison”
x
Country of production
“Italy”
x
films with a digital version
1
films available on demand
1
Region
South-East Asia
1
Country
Indonesia
1
x
Keywords
Development projects
1
Health / Health care / Healing
1
Political Activists
1
Prison
1
x
Directors
Colucci, Erminia
1
Series
not set
1
Country of production
Australia
1
Indonesia
1
Italy
1
x
United Kingdom
1
Year of production
2015
1
Film
Breaking the Chains
2015
64
‘
Student
Directed by
Erminia Colucci
.
The practice of using shackles and chains to physically restrain people with mental illness (known as pasung) is widespread in Indonesia (as in many other developing/low middle income countries) and almost universally ignored. This observational ethnographic documentary explores the beliefs and social norms regarding pasung and tells an original story about the social and political activism to free people from this practice and the process that leads to the release of victims of pasung such as Yayah, a young woman who has been chained inside a small room for 17 years. In particular, the film follows the activities that have been initiated by an organization in Cianjur (West Java) that is led and run by people with mental health problems. This film researches an important topic (faith-based practices for mental suffering) that is under-researched in medical anthropology and is a rare example of applied visual ethnography in the field.
South-East Asia
Prison
Health / Health care / Healing
Political Activists
Development projects