Laura Basuki's Story Filming in Sumba, Successfully 'Unlocking' Many New Abilities

Laura Basuki (Virgi/VOI)

JAKARTA - Actress Laura Basuki shared an interesting experience while filming her latest film in Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara titled Yohanna.

He admitted that the film project produced by the Summerland production house was very memorable because it required him to learn many new things to delve into the character named Yohana.

For Laura, one of the biggest advantages of being an actor is the opportunity to keep learning.

"One of the joys of being an actor is that there are many new things to learn. And this film is one of the ones that unlocked my new skills the most," said Laura Basuki in Central Jakarta, Friday, April 3.

The Citra Cup-winning actress detailed the various new skills she had to master, ranging from driving a pickup truck, playing the guitar, playing soccer, to riding a horse.

"There are so many new things that I couldn't do in real life if it wasn't for the film offer," he added.

In addition to being required to master various physical skills, Laura also expressed her admiration for Sumba. Although the terrain there is considered quite challenging and different from the usual filming locations, he felt that everything felt light thanks to the support of local residents.

"There everything feels light because the people are so friendly, kind, welcoming with a positive attitude. There are also shootings, they are orderly, watch it calmly," he said.

Laura's closeness with local residents, especially Sumba children, left a very deep impression. He even said that the moment of parting after the production process was completed was tinged with tears.

"Even when we finished filming, we were crying, like, oh, it's so sad to part, because we have a lot of fun memories when filming in Sumba," he said.

When asked about the process of deepening the character of Yohanna who played, Laura explained that she did not need too much research time. According to him, the film's script or screenplay was written very strongly.

However, in order to give the best performance, he still did in-depth research by interacting directly with relevant sources.

"I also had a chat with some sisters about their spiritual journey," explained Laura.

In addition, he also took time to practice musical instruments and driving. He took several guitar practice sessions just to make sure he could play the song Haleluya in front of the camera to look natural.

Meanwhile, for the purpose of driving scenes, Laura had to adapt to the challenging geographical conditions of Sumba.

"I learned how to drive a pick-up truck when I was in Sumba, because the roads are quite small and rocky, so it was like one day I tried driving around in the car," he concluded. The totality of the actress in this project also reaped appreciation.

Synopsis

Yohanna (Laura Basuki) tells the story of a young nun named Yohanna who goes to Sumba to distribute humanitarian aid to people in need.

With sincere intentions and strong faith in his call to service, he borrowed a truck to transport donations. However, the mission turned into a crisis when the truck containing the aid was stolen, forcing him to go down to the field to find it again.

In the search process, Yohanna felt the harsh social reality, as well as a system full of injustice. He met children who struggled to survive and were trapped in dangerous work, including a young girl who later helped him.

This experience shook his views on service and faith, as he witnessed firsthand the suffering he had previously only understood theoretically.

In the end, the search for the truck becomes an inner journey. Yohanna not only faces external challenges, but also a crisis of faith and her identity as a nun. Through her encounters with the oppressed, she finds a new understanding of the meaning of faith, sacrifice, and humanity.

Yohanna's film itself will begin airing on April 9, featuring Jajang C. Noer, Kirana Grasela, and Iqua Tahlequa.