Mirza Ramadia

Call Me Dad represents a meaningful milestone in my career as a Dialogue Editor and Re- recording Mixer, showcasing the subtle yet powerful role dialogue plays in shaping emotional storytelling. The film follows a young girl and two clumsy loan sharks who unexpectedly become her family after her mother leaves her as collateral for unpaid debts. Unlike projects driven by suspense or psychological tension, this story required a delicate balance of warmth, humor, and heartfelt emotion. Through meticulous dialogue editing, I ensured that every conversation felt natural and heartfelt, while my work as a re-recording mixer balanced dialogue, music, and environmental sound to support the film’s wholesome and uplifting tone. The project’s impact was further recognized when Call Me Dad received a nomination for Best Sound Design at the 2025 Indonesian Film Festival (FFI), making it a proud achievement and a testament to the collaborative effort behind bringing this touching story to life.

Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams – Episode 3: Poems and Pains stands as a significant milestone in my career due to the breadth of creative responsibility I carried as Dialogue Editor, Sound Designer, and Re-recording Mixer. The episode follows an author struggling to complete her latest novel, only to discover that her own life is beginning to mirror the tragic experiences of the characters she has created. My role required me to shape this psychological and emotional journey through sound, crafting dialogue that captured the protagonist’s growing anxiety and isolation while designing ambient soundscapes that blurred the boundaries between reality and fiction. By carefully balancing dialogue clarity, environmental storytelling, and emotional atmosphere, I helped reinforce the unsettling feeling that the protagonist was becoming trapped within her own narrative. This project was particularly meaningful because it demanded a deep understanding of how sound can support complex storytelling, transforming internal conflict and psychological tension into an immersive experience for audiences on a global platform such as Netflix.

More Pain More Gain remains one of the defining milestones of my career as a Sound Designer. As the end-to-end creative decision-maker for sound design and audio engineering, I worked closely with the director to translate the film’s central theme of toxic masculinity into a compelling sonic experience. Through carefully crafted soundscapes, visceral body impacts, strained breathing, and an increasingly oppressive gym atmosphere, I helped build the tension, pain, and psychological intensity of a weightlifting duel between two men determined to prove their masculinity through suffering. This project challenged me to think beyond technical execution and use sound as a storytelling device that shaped the audience’s emotional experience. The impact of our collective creative vision was ultimately recognized when More Pain More Gain won Best Short Film at the Stockholm International Fantastic Film Festival – Monsters of Film, making it one of the most rewarding and memorable projects of my career.