From the margin to the centre: repositioning indigenous people in the film adaptation Saidjah dan Adinda

The 1976 film adaptation of Max Havelaar sparked controversy for its portrayal of Indigenous characters as passive and inferior and for disregarding the input of an Indonesian filmmaker initially involved in the project. In 2021, an Indonesian director reinterpreted this narrative through his film Saidjah dan Adinda, centering on the indigenous characters as active agents of resistance and offering a counter-narrative to the colonialist perspective of the earlier adaptation. Through the lens of postcolonial studies, this article examines how the 2021 adaptation challenges and deconstructs the narrative of the 1976 film. To contextualize this comparison, it first explores the causes of the controversy and eventual banning of the 1976 film in Indonesia, including its reception and cultural implications. Through an in-depth interview with the director of Saidjah dan Adinda, this study further investigates his motivations for foregrounding local characters as central figures in reclaiming historical agency within the film. This research contributes to postcolonial media studies by highlighting how contemporary filmmakers from formerly colonized nations leverage cinema to subvert and reframe historical narratives imposed by colonial perspectives, thereby reclaiming cultural identity and historical discourse.