Garin optimistic on ailing local film industry<\/p>\n
By Rita A. Widiadana<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): People may say that Indonesian cinema industry
\nis dead, but Garin Nugroho presses forward in his role as
\none of the country's most prolific and talented movie directors.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's once flourishing film industry has been in a sorry
\nstate since l991, when the industry stopped producing good films.
\nThat year also marked the end of the country's prestigious film
\nfestivals which yielded the best performers in the country. It
\nwas also the time when Hollywood and Mandarin films began
\nflooding domestic cinemas and pushing aside local products.<\/p>\n
In the face of Hollywood's imperialism and the domination of
\nlocal movie "politicians", who have taken control of domestic
\ncinemas and film distribution, Garin is convinced that he and
\nother young filmmakers can provide audiences with an alternative
\nby creating low-budget movies with refreshingly new themes apart
\nfrom sex and violence.<\/p>\n
Born in Yogyakarta in l961, Garin started his film career by
\nproducing short films, documentaries, music videos and
\ncommercials in the late l980s. He began making feature films a
\nfew years later.<\/p>\n
Garin's Cinta Dalam Sepotong Roti (Love in a Slice of Bread)
\nwon him a Citra, a local version of Oscar, for best film and best
\ndirector in the l991 Citra Film Festival.<\/p>\n
He could have used the success of Cinta Dalam Sepotong Roti as
\na springboard for a more commercial project. Instead, he made
\nartistic films like Bulan Tertusuk Ilalang (.. And the Moon
\nDances) and Surat Untuk Bidadari (A Letter to an Angel), which
\nwere not screened in local cinemas but won him international
\npraise.<\/p>\n
Ignored by local movie businessmen, Garin did well on the
\ninternational movie scene. In l996, Garin's Bulan Tertusuk
\nIlalang grabbed five prestigious awards at the International
\nBerlin Film Festival, the Nantes Film Festival in France, as well
\nas the Singapore and Japan film festivals. His other feature
\nfilm, Surat Untuk Bidadari, won him the Carridi D' Oro Award for
\nbest film at the 1994 Italian Film Festival in Taormina, Italy.
\nHis documentary on Bali earned him a special award as the best
\ntourism documentary at the Fotokino Film Festival in Koln,
\nGermany.<\/p>\n
Collaborating with Mira Lesmana, he produced and directed an
\nimpressive semi-documentary television series of Indonesian
\nchildren Anak Seribu Pulau (Children of the Thousand Islands). He
\nis frequently involved in various movie projects with both
\ndomestic and foreign institutions, including Japanese television
\nstation NHK.<\/p>\n
Presently, Garin is working on his latest project, Angin
\nRumput Savana (The Wind in the Savanna Grass), jointly funded by
\nJohn Hopkins University of the United States and the local
\neducation TV station Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia (TPI). The
\nfilm is to be screened on TPI in April.<\/p>\n
In conjunction with National Film Day today, The Jakarta Post
\nasked Garin for his views on and hopes for the current domestic
\nfilm industry. The following is an excerpt from the interview:<\/p>\n
Question: What is the most pressing problem in the domestic
\nfilm industry?<\/p>\n
Answer: There are different perceptions those in the industry
\nand the government with regard to the domestic film industry.<\/p>\n
Industrialists want movies with big kicks and fast returns,
\nwhile the majority of those in the film business want to create
\nartistic movies. The government, which has the authority to
\nbridge the wide gap between businessmen and artists and to
\nsupport the development of local film activity, does not carry
\nout its role properly.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you see any possibility for these three parties to
\ncompromise?<\/p>\n
A: For the time being, a compromise is still out of reach.
\nBusinessmen dominate the film industry from production to
\ndistribution. They set their own film-making criteria, which,
\naccording to them, are fit for a mass audience. People who want
\nto survive in the movie world have to follow the concepts and the
\nresults are obvious.<\/p>\n
Action-thrillers, slapstick comedies and sex are the best
\ncombination for a marketable film. These businessmen get a lot of
\nmoney but at the same time they are ruining the film industry and
\ndeceiving the people.<\/p>\n
In my opinion, the government has done little to improve the
\ncondition and is in the corner of these businessmen. The ailing
\ndomestic film industry is aggravated by film distribution being
\nmonopolized by certain group.<\/p>\n
Q: Given the monopoly, do you think our film industry can be
\nrevived?<\/p>\n
A: I am pretty sure that it will face serious problems with its
\nnetworking system in the near future. Currently, the group
\ndistribute only imported films from Hong Kong and Hollywood.<\/p>\n
The audience will sooner or later get tired of these films and
\ndemand a greater variety, including quality Indonesian and
\nforeign films. Hardly any art films from Asian or European
\ncountries enter Indonesian cinemas.<\/p>\n
Today, people can still watch Indonesian erotic movies or
\nIndian films in second-rate cinemas and art films in cultural
\ncenters. If we maintain this system, Indonesia will never have a
\nfilm industry, while film industries in our neighboring
\ncountries, like Singapore, Malaysia and even war-torn Vietnam,
\nare growing significantly.<\/p>\n
Q: What should movie people and the government do to help revive
\nthe local film industry?<\/p>\n
A: They can do many things because they have money and access to
\npolitical power. They can, for instance, build just one art
\ncinema in the country to show the movies of talented filmmakers.
\nI am sure that the impact on the development of local films will
\nbe great.<\/p>\n
A large number of new-generation directors, actors and
\nproducers will probably emerge in the domestic movie scene and
\ngive audiences a broader selection of movies.<\/p>\n
The film industry in France has survived Hollywood's hegemony
\nbecause its government, businesses and artists work closely
\ntogether to help the industry grow. The French government, for
\nexample, protects local films and provides substantial subsidies.
\nWe can learn from how France manages its movie business.<\/p>\n
Q: Does the ailing film industry affect your artistic ventures?<\/p>\n
A: My works do not depend on the market. I'm trying to build up
\nthe domestic film industry with quality art films. My films are
\nnot commercially viable and it is very difficult to find people
\nwho want to risk their money to produce art cinema. Yet I feel so
\ngrateful that there are still some people and enterprises who
\nhave supported my projects. Making a good film is not just a
\nmatter of money. It requires artistic and technological skills.<\/p>\n
For me, the collapse of the Indonesian film industry is a
\nnatural process. Almost every country, including the United
\nStates with its Hollywood charms, Britain, France, Italy, India,
\nJapan and Hong Kong, also underwent ups and downs in their film
\nindustries. I see it as a transition to a better and more mature
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you think you can survive in the movie world by insisting
\non making art films?<\/p>\n
A: I try hard to resist any temptation to make commercial films.
\nI contribute to the Indonesian film industry by entering my works
\nin international film festivals. Time will prove that the world
\ntrend is moving towards art works rather than Hollywood's action-
\nthrillers. This year's Academy Award nominees were mostly serious
\nworks from independent studios.<\/p>\n
(In this year's Academy Awards, four of the five nominations for
\nbest picture -- The English Patient, Fargo, Secrets and Lies and
\nShine -- were released by independent companies. Only Jerry
\nMaguire came from TriStar, and The English Patient came out as
\nthe biggest winner with nine Oscars including the best picture,
\nthe best director and the best supporting actress).<\/p>\n
At present, the glittering Hollywood industry is reaching its
\nsaturation point. Hollywood has lost its artistic talents.
\nIndependent studios like Miramax have brought new formulas to
\nmarket-oriented Hollywood.<\/p>\n
Q: What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n
A: The film industry needs innovative ideas and new formulas to
\nkeep it alive. When bright ideas are discouraged and repressed,
\nsooner or later you will lose the ability to produce a
\ncompetitive product.<\/p>\n
The giant film studios in Hollywood realize the great
\npotential of these independent studios and are willing to
\nfinancially support the projects of small studios and help
\ndistribute them worldwide.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, movie "politicians" are too arrogant or perhaps
\nignorant. But when our film industry is in ruins, they will try
\nto find a scapegoat.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you think young independent filmmakers in Indonesia will
\neventually dominate the local film industry?<\/p>\n
A: There are a lot of young talented film workers who are able to
\nfund their own projects. Many of them have worked in television
\nand multimedia, and are adaptable to the newest film-making
\ntechnologies. I've learned a lot from them and I'm sure they will
\nbecome key figures in Indonesia's 21st century movie industry.
\nThe current Kul-de-sak film project being carried out by young
\ndirectors like Mira Lesmana, Nan Triveni Achnas, Rizal Mantovani
\nis an important point in the revival of the Indonesian film
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
Q: Are you ready to face fiercer competition?<\/p>\n
A: A good soldier will always be on alert, so to say.
\nI consider myself a soldier. In time when the national film
\nindustry is ruined, I will update myself. I keep creating and
\nworking. I think this is a good time for self-improvement.<\/p>\n
Q: How do you see Indonesian cinema in the 21st century?<\/p>\n
A: I hope the 21st century will se a revival of the domestic
\nmovie industry. At present, we have entered a television era and
\nare running it to its peak. Television stations are growing
\nfast, with each trying to offer the best programs.<\/p>\n
When the TV industry becomes saturated, people may return to
\nproducing big screen movies. I predict that in 2001, the local
\nfilm industry will be revived. The format of the coming film
\nindustry will be totally different.<\/p>\n
When the time comes, dozens of filmmakers, animators and
\nproducers working for television could join together to rebuild
\nthe ailing local film industry.<\/p>\n
Q: Why are you so confident that our film industry will be
\nrevitalized by people in the TV industry?<\/p>\n
A: Hollywood's glory was revived in the l980s by persons like
\nSteven Spielberg who came from the TV generation.<\/p>\n
Q: What is your obsession?<\/p>\n
A: I would love to establish qualified film study centers in each
\nof Indonesia's 27 provinces where people can study cinematography.<\/p>\n
If we want to rejuvenate our film industry, we should have
\nmore than one institute for a film and television education.
\nThe Jakarta Arts Institute is not enough to groom talented
\nfilmmakers and artists.<\/p>",
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