Opera Jawa, rich in symbols and mysticism, is about a man and wife, Setio and Siti, who live in a small village and earn their living selling earthenware pots. Ludiro, a rich man who controls trading activities using various forms of violence, also lives in the village and, like Setio and Siti, is a former dancer in wayang orang, the traditional Javanese dance-drama. Setio and Siti’s life takes a turn for the worse when their earthenware business goes bankrupt. Ludiro, who has always been in love with Siti, tries to seduce her. Without realising it, the three former dancers enter into a triangle of conflict that mirrors the conflict in the episode Sinta Obong/The Abduction of Sinta that they used to perform in the wayang orang version of the Ramayana story.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
