Time-Travel Drama Making Waves: Father Proves Love Transcends Time

Meet Netanya Yemima, the brilliant mind behind "The Most Handsome Fish on Earth," a short film that took the stage at last year's 20th Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival by storm. Now, she's back in the director's chair for a grand feature film debut, "To My Dearest, My Dear…" This movie promises to pull your heartstrings as it narrates the journey of a father, whose love transcends the boundaries of time and life itself.

The time-travel drama revolves around the life of Adam, a man on the verge of fatherhood. When life slap him with a cancer diagnosis in 2008, Adam expects the worst. That is until fate throws him a lifeline. He finds a way to leap through time and seizes this opportunity to see his beloved daughter Nadia, whom he would never live to see in his lifetime.

Adam's familial love is so strong that he couldn't bear the thought of leaving his wife Marsha and Nadia's future uncertain. So, he keeps leaping, ensuring that both live the life he once hoped they would have. However, poignant twists await him. Upon one visit, he discovers a 16-year-old Nadia estranged from him and Marsha on the brink of remarrying. Stumped, Adam and Nadia undertake a whirlwind adventure to set things right, creating a fragile, exciting and unpredictable bond between a father and a daughter who should never have met.

Recounting her excitement when approached with the idea for the film, Yemima states, “I immediately fell in love with it." She goes on to share how the theme of unfailing love caught her interest and she dreamed of telling a story that explores love enduring through life, illness, or even time itself.

The movie is the brainchild of not just Yemima, but Bela Nabila and Bayu Arief, who share Yemima's sentiment. Nabila who co-wrote the screenplay, emphasized their deep sentimental connection to the film, stating it bears great meaning for them, "not only as creators, but as daughters."

Nabila perceives the film as an enjoyable break from the typical horror films that dominate the Indonesian market, stating that "a heartfelt story like this would offer a genuinely refreshing alternative for audiences."

Paired with the personal journeys of the directors, "To My Dearest, My Dear…" promises a rollercoaster of emotions for the audience. The team anticipates connecting with potential investors, Indonesian productions, and international distributors at this year's JAFF Market in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Yemima has previously directed films like "Sunat Racing," and "Rumah Kuta Kita," which bagged the best film at Semester Pendek 2021. The JAFF Future Project stands as a stellar platform for promising talents like Yemima, acting as a launchpad to help independent works achieve completion and distribution.