THIS IS REALITY is the story of an ex-resistance fighter turned performance artist who creates East Timor’s first reality TV show to confront his past.
East Timor endured a brutal 24-year Indonesian occupation from 1975-1999 in which over 200,000 people were killed or disappeared.
Few carry the scars more distinctively than Osme Gonsalves, a celebrated artist, singer, poet, actor, and prominent ex-resistance fighter, who struggles to find peace despite the goal of sovereignty being reached. Frustrated by his nation’s perceived apathy, Osme creates a reality TV show to travel the districts and interview the population about the contemporary reality of their lives under the alter-ego of reporter Rambo Marabunta.
This is an immersive story pulling the audience into the mind of a man living with invasive personal trauma, bravely facing his own demons to deliver a love letter to the nation he fought to free. It is also a timely message of peace and reconciliation.