Film industry 'needs thematic freedom'<\/p>\n
By Wisnu Pramudya<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Fatahillah promises to be one of the finest
\npresents awaiting Jakarta on its 470th anniversary celebration
\nthis June 22.<\/p>\n
The film epic, which premieres on June 11 and goes into city-
\nwide release in Jakarta on June 20, is the work of Chaerul Umam
\nand Imam Tantowi, two of the country's top directors.<\/p>\n
It tells of Fatahillah, a young ulema in the 16th century who
\nlead the fight to oust the Portuguese from what is today Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Much went in to the making of the movie. Its budget of Rp 3 billion
\n(US$1,250,000), with the Jakarta city administration footing the
\nbill, is high for Indonesian film standards. Its entire crew,
\nparticularly its directors, were burdened by expectations that
\nFatahillah would be the spark to ignite the dormant Indonesian
\nfilm industry.<\/p>\n
This was only to be expected amid a local film market almost
\nentirely dominated by cheap, tawdry vehicles. Glance up at any
\nmovie marquee and titles like Tergiur Permainan Sex (Drooling
\nOver Sex), Ecstasy dan Pengaruh Sex (Ecstasy and Sexuality),
\nSkandal Terlarang (Forbidden Scandal) and Gadis Binal (Wanton
\nGirl) reveal the depths the industry has sunk.<\/p>\n
Tantowi is known for a string of action movies such as Saur
\nSepuh (The Sayings of the Wise) but Chaerul is renowned for his
\ncourage in making films with unconventional themes. In 1977, he
\nmade Al Kautsar, which depicts a young religious teacher's
\nstruggle to adapt to the mores of a small village. It drew
\ncritical acclaim, attracted moviegoers and won the Best Socio-
\nculture Film award at the Asian Film Festival in the same year in
\nBangkok.<\/p>\n
Chaerul, better known as Mamang, also made Bintang Kejora,
\nabout how an adventurous rainmaker turns upside down the life of
\na village girl. His Gadis Maraton (Marathon Girl) was a more
\nmainstream tale of a simple girl who shines through athletics.<\/p>\n
Three of his 20-odd films are notable for strong Islamic
\nthemes. Many critics consider his Titian Serambut Dibelah Tujuh
\n(The Path of the Believers) from 1983 to be his masterpiece. But
\nChaerul's personal preference is Nada and Dakwah (The Tune and
\nPropagation), which made full use of the popularity of its stars,
\nMoslem singer Rhoma Irama and preacher Zainuddin M.Z.<\/p>\n
Critics praise Chaerul for his talent in art direction and his
\nability to convey messages through non-verbal means. He spoke to
\nThe Jakarta Post recently about the making of Fatahillah and the
\nstatus of the Indonesian film industry.<\/p>\n
Question: What makes Fatahillah an interesting movie?<\/p>\n
Answer: This film is about the history of a young ustadz
\n(Moslem teacher) who led a war. A military commander waging a war
\nis probably an ordinary thing. But this is a story about an
\nustadz, an ulema. It's probably going to be compared with Anthony
\nQuinn's character of Omar Mochtar in the Lion of the Desert, a
\nLibyan ulema who led his people in their fight against the
\nItalian colonial forces.<\/p>\n
Fatahillah was still a young man, not even forty yet. This is
\nabout a movement of the young people while their elders were
\nstill in power. The king of Demak (the largest Islamic kingdom at
\nthe time) did not have the initiative to mount an uprising
\nagainst the Portuguese.<\/p>\n
Q: You have said this was your most difficult movie...<\/p>\n
A: It posed a great challenge for me in art direction, especially
\nbecause it is action packed. Fortunately, I made it together with
\nTantowi. For him, making a colossal action movie is a piece of
\ncake.<\/p>\n
Taking good shots of fight scenes was complicated. It involved
\nmany retakes, which made me impatient. I prefer to apply myself
\nto setting up dramatic scenes featuring arguing and quarreling.<\/p>\n
In Fatahillah, the fight scenes took more than a mere one or
\ntwo minutes, sometimes lasting up to 20 minutes. That's what
\nstressed me out. Maybe it was no big deal for Tantowi.<\/p>\n
Q: Was it difficult making a film on which others have pinned
\ntheir hopes for reviving the industry?<\/p>\n
A: Yes, of course. Eventually, however, I stopped caring. People
\nknow me already. They know my capabilities. No matter how good I
\nam, (my pictures) are not going to be that extraordinary.<\/p>\n
But full-scale promotion is important, that's true. I think
\nthat one of the causes of the slump in our film industry is poor
\npromotion. But it's just one cause.<\/p>\n
Q: What do you consider the major cause of the slump?<\/p>\n
A: Competition. We lost out in competition to American films.<\/p>\n
Q: Not because of business politics?<\/p>\n
A: I'm not sure there's any such thing as (business politics).
\nBesides losing out in the competition in film technology, we were
\ndefeated in (choosing) themes. American directors have greater
\nfreedom to choose themes for their movies, while we limp behind.<\/p>\n
Before the onslaught of American films into Indonesia in the
\nearly 1990s, we could still compete. There was also protection of
\nthe nation's film industry at the time.<\/p>\n
But then they (the United States) threatened they would bar
\nIndonesian textile exports unless their films could enter
\nIndonesia. We had to give in for the sake of the textile trade.
\nWe haven't had the time to recover even as they (U.S. made films)
\nbecome increasingly dominant.<\/p>\n
Q: Is there any link between attempts to revive the industry and
\nthe epics that directors now choose to make?<\/p>\n
A: I'm not so sure. This particular picture took a great deal of
\nfunding to produce. It's here because the city administration
\nlent a hand. Otherwise, where could you find a private company
\nwilling to invest Rp 3 billion for a movie?<\/p>\n
Q: Besides history, what other themes do you think are good
\nenough to adopt?<\/p>\n
A: Islamic themes. They have an obvious market, as 90 percent of
\nour people are Moslems. We have a good market for Islamic movies.
\nWhen they see something which is close to their lives, which is
\nIslamic, people find it easy to identify.<\/p>\n
I believe directors will strive to create something that
\ncommunicates well if they themselves believe that its theme is
\nclose to their own life.<\/p>\n
I was raised in Islamic surroundings. In addition to (feeling)
\nclose to the themes, there's also business. Out of my 20 films,
\nthree were Islamic and sold well.<\/p>\n
Q: But aren't pornography and violence the selling points of
\nIndonesian movies today?<\/p>\n
A: That's because of the competition, too. They (the directors
\nand producers) think that if they have to lose out in competition
\nwith American films, why not just go all out and make sex
\npictures.<\/p>\n
But in general, our audio-visual business has become a mess,
\nmorally degrading the art. It's alarming. Ecstasy, violence,
\npromiscuity, they are all disseminated by our broadcast world.<\/p>\n
Q: The government has the most power to control dissemination of
\nthemes. What can artists like you do?<\/p>\n
A: The National Advisory Film Council (BP2FN) is open to input.
\nIt usually invites artists to give suggestions on issues of
\ncommercial consideration, education and production technology.<\/p>\n
In our effort to fight pornography, for instance, we suggested
\nthat a regulation be introduced so that films get to be screened
\nnot only at movie houses, but also in cheap, mobile cinemas
\ncalled layar tancap. The layar tancap is a world unto its own and
\nis enjoyed widely in villages. If someone produces and screens a
\nporn flick, (the rural) people would be outraged.<\/p>\n
We also seek cooperation with state-owned banks to provide
\nloans for film production. We encourage the making of quality
\nfilms for international festivals, which needs to be helped by
\nimprovements in human resource development.<\/p>\n
Q: How do you feel about the prevalence of sleazy films?<\/p>\n
A: I understand that they (the producers) are only doing
\nbusiness. But if this country condones such business practices,
\nwhat can we do? It's not only about films. Our country and our
\ngovernment provide a space for people like that, they provide
\nplaces for...commercial sex, for people to get drunk.<\/p>\n
What I really wish to do is counter the trend. We can't
\nprevent the current situation because those governing the country
\nallow it. Do you think that's what they mean by the Pancasila
\nideology?<\/p>\n
If I see something that I believe is negative, I wouldn't just
\nstew about it. I'd do something to counter it.<\/p>\n
Q: What countries protect their film industries sufficiently?<\/p>\n
A: Only a few countries have survived the onslaught of American
\nfilms. Those which did had their own reasons. Iran, for instance,
\nprotects its film industry for political reasons, but also
\ncultivates its arts institutes at the same time. I've never been
\nthere, but Iranian films often win awards in international
\nfestivals. China is like that too. The two countries send their
\nyoung people in the film industry to study in America and France.<\/p>\n
Hong Kong, too. In addition to sending its young people to
\nfilm schools in America, it has the benefits of an international
\nnetwork of Chinese people, so that its film marketing is
\nsupported by a strong ethnic sentiment.<\/p>\n
In Hong Kong, American films usually get the sixth or seventh
\nbillings. Those that were successful at the box office were
\nalways local productions, because Hong Kong is able to create
\nfilms which are on par with American movies.<\/p>\n
The Philippines survived by allowing pornography. Wow. I saw a
\nFilipino picture in a respected film festival. Oh Allah!. And
\nthat was the best picture that the country sent. The audience
\nstarted yelling in outrage. (The movie) was about a sex worker's
\nlive show.<\/p>\n
Q: Why hasn't Indonesia been able to survive?<\/p>\n
A: Because there's no clear policy here, something that protects
\n(the industry) and is free from other vested interests.<\/p>\n
But even if we wished to protect the industry, it's too late
\nnow. What we can still do is accelerate the education of our film
\nworkers. Send them abroad. Strengthen our own arts institutes.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the best result we can hope for with American films
\ndominating the scene?<\/p>\n
A: The freedom to explore themes. For instance, surely someday we
\ncan make films about the lives of corrupt people. The audience
\nwould just love it. Like Serpico.<\/p>\n
Or we could probably make a film about Eddy Tansil, which also
\nincludes the portrayal of collusion. Let there be no
\nrestrictions. That should be interesting.<\/p>\n
Q: Who can exercise effective control over films?<\/p>\n
A: The public. The press. This can be done through the
\nIndonesian Consumers Organization.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you see yourself becoming more religious in your filmwork?<\/p>\n
A: I see my films as declining (in their religiosity). Al-Kautsar
\nwas my second film. I should have gone on and produced films with
\nstronger Islamic themes.<\/p>\n
The problem is the opportunities are declining. The backers of
\nour film industry are not usually knowledgeable on how
\ninteresting Islamic themes can be. In the end, I make movies for
\nthe sake of continuity (of my work) only, so that I don't fade
\naway.<\/p>\n
Actually, my current works have placed me in a better working
\nenvironment. I know now that not only the film has to have
\nstronger Islamic values, but the process of its creation and the
\npeople involved in it have to be good as well. That's what I
\nremember all the time.<\/p>\n
The notorious vices of film crews of gambling, drinking and
\npromiscuity did not occur on the Fatahillah set. During the four
\nmonths of filming, we filled our spare time by inviting Moslem
\nteachers and organizing readings from the Koran.<\/p>\n
Praise Allah, these affected many of us so much that it was
\nthe film crew that eventually demanded that the readings be
\ncontinued.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/film-industry-needs-thematic-freedom-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}