The 2025 Community Service Program (Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat/PKM) by the Media and Cultural Studies (Kajian Budaya dan Media/KBM) Study Program was held over three days, from July 4–6, 2025. The program concluded on Sunday, July 6, 2025, with a film screening and discussion themed “The Body as a Struggle of Identity Between Personal Desire and Social Norms.”
The screening featured three films: Jemari yang Menari di Atas Luka-luka (Fingers Dancing on Wounds), Ride to Nowhere, and Pink, Blue, and Black. The final discussion session was moderated by Dr. Wulan Tri Astuti, S.S., M.A., an alumna of KBM UGM, and featured François Dabin, Director of IFI Yogyakarta, and Dr. Rivi Handayani, also a KBM alumna, as speakers. The session fostered a warm and open dialogue, becoming a safe space for audience members who resonated with the emotional struggles reflected in the films.
The three films powerfully opened the audience’s eyes to how social norms significantly shape individual identity—and for some, these norms become deeply repressive, offering no room to freely choose and express their true selves. The speakers agreed that the films addressed crucial and still-taboo issues, particularly within societies bound by rigid social expectations. Both Rivi and François offered sharp insights into the themes explored by the films.
François emphasized that gender-based violence is not exclusive to Indonesia or developing countries. Even in developed nations like France, such cases are still rampant and visible. Both speakers stressed that every individual deserves equal respect for their choices, free from violence or repression that threatens their right to express themselves.
Contributor: Nopsi Marga
SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequality), SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)