birth date by Janssen Ewaldo | IDN | 15’

Bong Lim Fi, a Chinese-Indonesian teenager, and his sisters wanted to surprise their mom on her birthday, so they started preparing a cake and came up with a scenario. However, they realized that they had the wrong idea of her birth date: is it on the Lunar calendar or the Gregorian calendar?

Janssen Ewaldo

Janssen Ewaldo is a director, screenwriter, and editor from Pontianak, Indonesia. His short film, Once Upon A Cloudy Day, was an official selection at the UI Film Festival 2023 and Taylor’s University Film Festival 2024. His follow-up film, Birth Date, won several awards such as Best Documentary Film in both IMAC Film Festival 2026 and Brawijaya Film Festival 2025. Birth Date was also officially selected at Beijing International Short Film Festival 2025. His work often explores themes of cultural identity as a Chinese-Indonesian. He views film as a powerful medium for sharing diverse human perspectives, fostering understanding, and encouraging reflection on our own lives.