The internet was recently shocked by the appearance of a character who has succeeded in shocking netizens through her shrewdness in gossip. Her name is Mrs. Tejo, who went viral after starring in the film Tilik which was released on Youtube on Monday (17/8). This 32-minute short film which was produced by Ravanca Films has received support from the Yogyakarta Provincial Cultural Office. This short film was actually released in 2018 and has aired at various film festivals. It even won several awards, such as being the Official Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF) 2018, and winning the 2018 Piala Maya in the Best Short Film category and becoming the Official Selection of World Cinema Amsterdam 2019.

The various achievements of Tilik certainly cannot be separated from the hard work and creativity of the director, Wahyu Agung Prasetyo. This alumnus of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta’s Communication Studies Study Program has been active in film production since his college years. Agung is a member of the Cinema Communications (CIKO) film community and has served as its chairman for one period.

Tilik tells the story of a group of mothers who are about to go to Tilik (to visit) the Village Head who is sick. What drew attention was the gossip scene that took place on the back of an open truck which brought the women to visit the village head. Agung said that it was the Tilik tradition itself that inspired him to make a film about the Tilik culture. “Tilik is a unique tradition in my opinion, and it is very close to the community. Therein lies the uniqueness, because the Tilik tradition only exists in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, in Europe or America, it does not exist, “said Agung, when contacted on Saturday (22/8).

Through this Tilik film, apart from raising awareness of the culture of Tilik, Agung also has a message that he wants to give to the public. “So through the scene of the chatter on the truck, there was actually a message that we tried to convey, namely about hoaxes. This film was made just before the presidential election, and it turns out that it is still relevant because nowadays, the flow of information comes from everywhere, so we tried to convey a culture of validation and not swallowing information whole to the audience,” he added. At the end of the interview, Agung also expressed his gratitude for the enthusiasm of the audience so that Tilik  went viral and became an achievement for him. Now, have you watched the movie yet ? (dea)