By: Ciptanti Putri

""The Mirror Never Lies"", a film production of WWF-Indonesia, Wakatobi government, and SET Film, again won an international award. This time it was received at the sixth Asia Pacific Screen Awards held in Brisbane, Australia on November 23, 2012. The award received by ""The Mirror Never Lies"" is an award for the best children film in the Asia-Pacific region, in the category of Best Children Feature Film.
 
""The Mirror Never Lies"" is a debut of film director Kamila Andini, starring Atiqah Hasiholan and Reza Rahadian, which tells the lives of Bajo, a sea tribe around Wakatobi archipelago. Produced by Garin Nugroho and Nadine Chandrawinata, the entire film is set in beautiful locations in Wakatobi and supported by local performers from Bajo.
 
Devy Suradji, Marketing and Communications Director of WWF-Indonesia, responded to the success of this film as normal. ""The Mirror Never Lies"" was prepared to be an interesting and exciting show for its aesthetic, educational, moral, local wisdom, as well as high conservation values. ""The film specifically educates audiences about the lives of Bajo children, not only its society in general. Described in the movie how they interact, go to school, and how their daily lives are very dependent on water. These children have to paddle the boat by themselves within tens of kilometers to reach their school and other places, and have to walk further up the mountain to get clean water. Their story is an adventure that is unique and consists of educational values,"" said Devy.

Although not a commercial success and became a box office, the film produced in 2011 has reached what is aspired by WWF-Indonesia as the producer. ""From the beginning, we have told Garin, Kamila, the entire production team and the parties involved, including the regent, that we wanted to make a film that will always be watched by the world, even after the cinema season is over,"" said Devy.
 
Through this film WWF-Indonesia hopes that the government continues to protect conservation areas or national parks. ""The film raises cultural discourse or local wisdom inherent closely with conservation efforts. It is hereditary given by ancestor. ‘The Mirror Never Lies' is a successor media of culture and conservation messages inherent to each other,"" said Devy.
 
In Asia Pacific Screen Awards this year, there are a total of 264 films entered the selection, and 34 films from 18 countries are qualified as nominees. There are two Indonesian films nominated, namely ""The Mirror Never Lies"" in the category of Children Feature Film and ""Negeri Di Bawah Kabut"", a documentary by Shalahuddin Siregar, which is in the category of Documentary Film. However, the award for Indonesia is obtained through ""The Mirror Never Lies"".
 
Asia Pacific Screen Awards is an annual award event of International Region Asia Pacific which is the collaboration between the Government of Queensland, Australia, UNESCO and FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations). ""The Mirror Never Lies"" were competing with 4 other films in the category of Best Children Feature Film: ""I Wish"" (Director: Kore Eda Hirokazu, Japan), ""Gattu"" (Director: Rajan Khosa, India), ""My Australia"" (Director: Ami Drozd, Australia), and ""Off White Lies"" (Director: Maya Kenig, Israel).

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Wakatobi is considered unique due to the region’s marine biodiversity as well as the scale of reef condition that makes Wakatobi the highest priority of marine conservation in Indonesia. At least four species of marine sea turtle are identified in this region, including green and hawksbill turtles. Beside sea turtles, there exist around 396 coral sceleractanian species, 31 fungia species, 31 foraminifera species, 34 stomatopods, and up to 942 fish species. This priceless biodiversity has brought successfully Wakatobi to its formalization as a Marine National Park in 1996. The WWF’s long and persistent work has been fully supported by USAID-CTSP, DANIDA (Danish International Development Agency), WWF-Netherland, and in collaboration work together with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The promotion of the film made possible by contribution from CIDA.