Danusiri's 'Lukas' Moment' has homeland premiere<\/p>\n
Nelden Djakababa, Contributor\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Not too many of us are aware that this year, a 60-minute
\ndocumentary film by an Indonesian has been screened at six film
\nfestivals in Europe.<\/p>\n
Festivals in Amsterdam, Stockholm, Berlin, Finland and Norway
\nhave all included Lukas' Moment: A Journey Between Hope and
\nDesperation (2005) on their official selection list.<\/p>\n
The film, set in Payum, Merauke, West Papua, received the Best
\nStudent Award at the Royal Anthropological Institute Film
\nFestival in Oxford, UK.<\/p>\n
Fortunately for us here, Moment will have its Indonesian
\npremiere at Jakarta International Film Festival (JiFFest). And
\nlike most documentaries screened at the festival, it can be
\nviewed for free.<\/p>\n
So why the minimal publicity in Indonesia so far?<\/p>\n
"Maybe it's because I've just recently returned home," says
\nfilm-maker Aryo Danusiri with a laugh. Having finished his
\nundergraduate studies at University of Indonesia's Department of
\nAnthropology, he furthered his studies for a master's in Tromso,
\nNorway. Moment is part of his final assignment at the program,
\nalong with a written thesis.<\/p>\n
There is some noticeable departure of theme and approach
\nbetween Moment and Aryo's earlier works. In his documentaries on
\nAceh, made in 1999, 2000 and 2003, for example, the underlying
\nframe of the stories was the prolonged conflict in Aceh, and the
\nhuman-rights abuse that laces it.<\/p>\n
In Moment, however, Danusiri chooses to follow young Marind
\nfisherman Lukas Gebze, 20, who lives in Payum, near Merauke, and
\nis struggling to become an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n
"My main interest is to portray minority and under-represented
\ngroups, be it in Aceh or Papua, or anywhere else," Danusiri
\nexplains. He admits, however, that there is a conscious shift in
\nhow he chooses to frame the stories.<\/p>\n
In his previous Aceh documentaries, he tried to show the
\nimpact of gross human-rights violations. "But in doing so, I've
\ninadvertently reproduced that violence in the (film) images."<\/p>\n
In Moment, Danusiri aims to capture the complexities faced by
\nLukas and those around him, in their everyday life. You will not
\nfind any stereotypical references to the horror of the conflict
\nin Papua here.<\/p>\n
"I have to say that this is more challenging for me, and
\ndefinitely more difficult to secure funding for such project,
\ncompared to films with themes like gross human-rights
\nviolations," he chuckles.<\/p>\n
"I was lucky to be able to do this project, because it was
\npart of my (master program) final assignment. I had a scholarship
\nto do this."<\/p>\n
Another noticeable difference between Moment and his previous
\nprojects was the way he approached the characters and the stories
\nthey told. Previous films were packed with interviews, with
\nscenes of daily life serving only as transitions between them, or
\nas backdrops.<\/p>\n
In contrast, Moment does not present too many direct
\ninterviews. Rather, it includes several prolonged scenes set in a
\nsingle space, and thus viewers may witness the story, complete
\nwith its surprising twists, gradually unfolding as it occurs in
\nreal-life pace, instead of being given too much explanation.<\/p>\n
Some critics might see this as a liability if this film is to
\nbe presented to cinema audiences that are generally assumed to
\nhave a short attention span.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, though, this approach has managed to maintain
\nthe suspense level as the plot unravels, without
\noverdramatization. Thus, it becomes difficult not to care what
\nhappens to Lukas and the other characters.<\/p>\n
"After this piece, I'd like to use a similar approach to
\ntackle the issues of women, and of Islam in Indonesia. These are
\nalso underrepresented groups I'm interested in.<\/p>\n
"So far, I've observed that their portrayal tends to be
\noversimplified," concludes Danusiri, without being too specific
\nabout his plans for future projects.<\/p>\n
Lukas' Moment will be filmed at JiFFest at Teater Kecil-TIM
\n(Taman Ismail Marzuki) on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7.00 p.m.;
\nTuesday, Dec. 13 at 2.00 p.m.; and on Friday, Dec. 16 at 9.30
\np.m. For complete information on JiFFest, visit www.jiffest.org
\nor contact the hotline on 3192 5115.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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