The Atlantis Mussels, A Film by UMN Students and Alumni with International Achievements

Best ShortDoc Award “The Atlantis Mussels” (Doc. UMN)

Tangerang – Recently, UMN journalism students won the Best ShortDoc Megacities-ShortDocs Film Festival 2024. The short film “The Atlantis Mussels” also received good impressions from Cinema Positif Weeks under the auspices of the Cannes Film Festival 2024, One Earth Film Festival, and the Bali International Film Festival. This short film raises the theme of the global climate. It is hoped that this movie will be a success. 

Rachmat Kurniawan Idrus, a UMN student majoring in Journalism (batch 2019), has brought a short film that is memorable nationally and internationally. The short film titled “The Atlantis Mussels” tells about the impact of climate change directly on the coast of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta. Rachmat directed the film with his friend Azyd Aqsha Madani, a UMN alumnus majoring in Film & Animation, as the producer.

“This movie tells us what solutions we can take to address the impact of this crisis. We found a solution to this crisis by utilizing green mussel shells to raise the ground level so that the disaster does not swallow their houses,” Rachmat said.

Rachmat was inspired by environmental activists in Indonesia such as Pandawara, Jerhemy Owen, and Bule Sampah. This has caused Rachmat to continue to be exposed to environmental issues. After researching and looking at references, Rachmat and his friends were inspired to make the short film “The Atlantis Mussels”.

Rachmat and Azyd attending the Cannes Film Festival 2024. (Doc. UMN)

“The title ‘The Atlantis Mussels’ also has a deep meaning. Atlantis represents an island with an advanced civilization that eventually sank, while mussels or green mussels serve as a natural filter for dirty water. So, overall, this title illustrates how green mussels can positively impact a civilization facing the threat of sinking,” Rachmat continued. 

Rachmat said that during his studies at UMN in 2022 in the Digital Videography course, he often got assignments to make documentaries, which sparked his interest in documentary films. UMN also supported Rachmat in his achievements.

“I am thrilled and never thought my movie could get appreciated abroad. In addition, through this film, I realized that environmental issues are no longer just interesting things to discuss, but are already at an important and critical stage to discuss and find solutions,” said Rachmat.

Rachmat also added that environmental issues are important. Rachmat advised to find friends who support and share the same vision. For Rachmat, we don’t need to be perfect; the most important thing is our willingness to start and spark creativity.

By Rachel Tiffany Tanukusuma | UMN News Service

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara.