About
Umi Lestari is a writer, curator, and film critic whose work explores the intersections of cinema, archives, and cultural history through decolonial and feminist approaches. Her practice combines research, curatorial projects, and critical writing to uncover neglected narratives in Indonesian cinema. She has curated and co-organized several film and archival programs, including Basuki Resobowo (2021) at the Galeri Nasional Indonesia, the Experimental Film Programme at UCIFEST (2020), and Film Anak Klasik Indonesia for Bioscil (2024). These projects highlight her commitment to reimagining film archives as spaces for collective memory, public dialogue, and artistic intervention.
Umi regularly presents her research and lectures on Indonesian cinema at local and international forums, contributing to broader conversations on Southeast Asian film historiography and the politics of archiving. Her writings have appeared in Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia and Korean and Asian Arts Journal, and she was awarded the New Emerging Writers Fellowship by Southeast of Now. Currently, she teaches at the Film Department of Universitas Multimedia Nusantara, where she teaches film history and film theory. Umi is also a member of Kelas Liarsip, a women and non-binary collective dedicated to reclaiming women’s agency in Indonesian film history, including the digitization of Ratna Asmara’s films. Through her writing, curatorial work, and teaching, Umi continues to challenge dominant narratives and open new ways of engaging with Indonesia’s cinematic past.
Recent film
I SAW HER IN MOTION
I Saw Her in Motion is an essay film that re-examines the lives and works of pioneering female directors Ratna Asmara and Kay Mander—who were active in the early days of Indonesian independence. Amidst dominant narratives shaped by male directors and state-oriented documentaries, this project highlights their contributions, challenges gender narratives, and opens new avenues for understanding the history of Indonesian cinema.
Selected Publications
Lestari, U., & Mahardika, Y. (2025). Between Art and Media Technologies in Indonesia: Genealogy of OK.Video. In How to Pin Down Smoke: Ruangrupa since 2000 (September/October 2025, pp. 390–411). Afterall.
Lestari, U. (2023). Biang Kerok Kenikmatan: Nawi Ismail dalam Sinema Indonesia. CV Footnote Press. [monograph]
Lestari, U. (2022). Ratna Asmara. In L. Lusandiana (Ed.), Ratna Asmara Perempuan di Dua Sisi Kamera (pp. 30–88). Indonesian Visual Art Archive. [book chapters]
Selected presentation
This is Film! 2022 Indonesian Film Heritage at Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam with Lisabona Rahman
