The independence movement to free Indonesia from the control of its Dutch colonizers began as a land and power struggle in the late 1890's. Tjoet Nya Dien dramatizes that struggle for some ten years. As more Dutch troops arrive to suppress rebel forces fighting in the jungles of the Sultanate of Aceh (Sumatra), the insurgents lose their leader in battle, and his widow, Tjoet Nya Dien, takes on that role. Only her battle is for more than land and power; it is for the faith--or Allah, for Islam. And this is what sustains her devotion to the struggle, even with traitors who sell out to the Dutch. In the end, as her health fails her, a traitor emerges who brings the final confrontation to a head for Tjoet Nya Dien. There is no respect from her for his motives, which he claims are out of compassion for her. Though Tjoet Nya Dien died in captivity, this defender of Indonesia's freedom went on to take her place among other Indonesian heroes who stood against would-be colonizers. Awards/Festivals: Cannes International Critics' Week 1989; Asia Society New York 1989; Jakarta International Film Festival 2000.