Kynan,

is an Indigenous storyteller from the Iban people of present day West Borneo, Indonesia. Living in and around the longhouse of Sungai Utik, she learned directly from the elders, listening to and capturing their stories of resistance in the face of encroaching deforestation, and the lasting scars of colonialism in the region. Creating films that not only serve as a glimpse of the Iban’s way of life told through an emic lens, but are also actively used as tools for advocacy.

Earth Defender (2024) Screening in Sungai Utik

Through filmmaking, activism, and policy engagement, Kynan amplifies the voices of indigenous communities and articulates the challenges that they face, and explores emerging pathways in understanding what it means to be Indigenous. Currently an undergraduate student in anthropology at Universitas Indonesia, Kynan has showcased her work and begun critical discussions in spaces such as Columbia University, the New York Climate Week, the American Natural History Museum, and the UNFCCC COP 29.

Kynan Tegar and Lucia Ixchiu previewing the film A Day on Earth (2027) on the Opening Plenary of the 2026 Skoll World Forum