“Vaterland” or A Bule Named Yanto (2026)
Director: Berthold Wahjudi
Cast: Aggai Saibuma, Sarah Muckarin Röser
A German-Indonesian man in his mid-20s, Yanto, travels to Yogyakarta hoping for a quiet reunion with his younger sister. But what he finds instead is a mirror to his own displacement: she fits into the culture with a grace he has never known. As jealousy and friction simmer between them, Yanto’s visit turns into a poignant, bittersweet quest through the tangled terrain of mixed-race belonging.
More About This Film
“Vaterland” or A Bule Named Yanto is a 2026 German-Indonesian short film directed and written by Berthold Wahjudi. The film follows Yanto, a German-Indonesian man in his twenties who visits his younger sister in Yogyakarta expecting a simple family reunion, only to confront questions about belonging and mixed-race identity.
The story explores the uneasy difference between being culturally connected to a place and feeling fully at home there. Aggai Saibuma and Sarah Muckarin Röser star in the 26-minute production, which was selected for the 2026 Cannes Critics' Week short-film competition.
- Berthold Wahjudi directed and wrote the film.
- The production is a Germany-Indonesia co-production involving Madfilms Cruiziat & Egert, Aftersun Creative, and Allergikerfilm.
- The film was shot in Bavaria and Yogyakarta.
- It had its world premiere in Competition at the 2026 Cannes Critics' Week.
- The film runs approximately 26 minutes and is presented in German, Indonesian, Javanese, and English.