by FilmInk Staff
Dogmilk Films premieres its first feature documentary, A River in the Middle of the Sky, at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) on Thursday, 30 January 2025 as part of ACMI’s ART+FILM programme.
A River in the Middle of the Sky paints a portrait of Torajan videographer Victor Konda whose images trace his personal and community life. Through his company, Delta Sangalla’ TV (DSTV), Victor channels his fascination with the moving image despite his vision impairments, documenting the lifeblood of his community—the social events, ceremonies, and rituals that pulse through Tana Toraja, Indonesia.
While attentive to the region’s renowned elaborate funeral ceremonies, DSTV’s footage also reveal lesser-seen aspects of the daily lives of Toraja, where the personal and communal, the everyday and ceremonial, coexist. A River in the Middle of the Sky juxtaposes footage of DSTV’s archival footage spanning nearly two decades with present-day images of Victor at work, capturing the ways his work both preserves and coexists with the cultural life it reflects.
A River in the Middle of the Sky marks the debut feature of Dogmilk Films, an independent filmmaking collective working across the land of the Kulin Nation (Melbourne), Mparntwe, and Makassar. Since its inception in 2017, the collective has focused on producing and promoting ambitious, alternative cinema, including video art and expanded filmmaking, grounded in collaborative storytelling and DIY film culture.
The project represents the first feature-length collaboration between the collective’s Makassar and Naarm-based members. This screening will be accompanied by a panel discussion with the filmmakers.
