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Submitted
July 19, 2025
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April 28, 2026
Published
April 30, 2026
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Abstract

This study examines Yogyakarta short films construction on local cultural values through narrative structure using a qualitative narratological approach based on Tzvetan Todorov’s model. Analyzing 21 government-funded short films, the study focuses on protagonists, conflict, and resolution as key narrative elements. The findings show that these films consistently position wong cilik as protagonists whose conflicts arise from everyday social relations, including family obligations, economic constraints, and community dynamics. Disruptions are typically externally driven, while resolution is achieved through restraint, negotiation, and relational adjustment rather than confrontation. This produces a non-confrontational narrative strategy, often expressed through open-ended endings that emphasize reflection and social equilibrium. These patterns are reinforced by minimal dialogue, silence, non-professional actors, and slow pacing. Together, these elements demonstrate non-confrontational storytelling operates as the primary narrative structure.

Keywords

narrative analysis local film short film provincial film industry

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Copyright (c) 2026 Dyna Suwarto, Benni Setiawan, Gilang Adikara

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Author Biography

Dyna Herlina Suwarto, Department of Communication Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Sleman, Yogyakarta

Lecturer at the Department of Communication Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Sleman, Yogyakarta

How to Cite
Suwarto, D. H., Setiawan, B. ., & Adikara, G. J. (2026). Provincial cultural narratives on screen: The construction of Yogyakarta cultural values in local short films. Jurnal Komunikasi, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.20885/komunikasi.vol20.iss1.art5
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