A RIVER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SKY-Wahyu Al Mardhani, Chris Cochrane-Friedrich

2nd July 2025 @ 7:30pm: A River in the Middle of the Sky by Wahyu Al Mardhani, Chris C.F.

A River in the Middle of the Sky is a portrait of Torajan videographer Victor Konda, whose work captures the intersection of his personal and community life. Despite challenges with his vision, Victor became fascinated with the moving image and began documenting social events, ceremonies, and rituals in Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia, with his videography crew, Delta Sangalla' TV (DSTV).

While the region is globally renowned for its elaborate funeral ceremonies, Victor’s footage reveals lesser-seen moments of everyday life in Toraja. From the loving preparation of his grandmother’s body for burial to a village raising the foundations of an ancestral home, Victor has been recording the life and transformations of his community since 2005, filming both public and personal moments with equal dedication.

The DSTV archive serves as a visual chronicle of Toraja’s unique approach to death, grief, and life itself. A River in the Middle of the Sky combines footage from this archive with original images of Victor and his family, interweaving multiple narrative threads to create a portrait of a man whose work preserves the collective memory of his community. His contributions to documenting Torajan life highlight the innate impulse of the cameraperson: to ensure one’s experiences outlive our physical bodies and transcend the fragility of memory.