Slamet Rahardjo still full of life at 50<\/p>\n
By Stevie Emilia<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): For many people, turning 50 is like beginning a
\nnew chapter in life -- a time to reflect on the past and think of
\nwhat still lies ahead.<\/p>\n
Slamet Rahardjo Djarot, Indonesia's leading actor-director who
\ncelebrated his 50th birthday on Jan. 21, did just that. On his
\nbirthday, he shunned extravagant parties, instead choosing to
\nspend the day with his family.<\/p>\n
Born in Serang, West Java, Slamet began his career in the film
\nindustry in 1969, when began to study acting and directing in
\nTeguh Karya's Teater Populer.<\/p>\n
Then he jumped onto the big screen, playing his first role in
\nWajah Seorang Laki-Laki (Face of a Man) in 1971. The first film
\nhe directed was the 1979 Rembulan dan Matahari (The Moon and the
\nSun). The film was submitted to the 1987 Asia America Film
\nFestival in New York.<\/p>\n
\"The thing that has made me the happiest man in the world was
\ngetting a teacher who taught me to love my work,\" Slamet said in
\nreference to Teguh Karya.<\/p>\n
\"Teguh is the man that made me who I am, the one who
\nintroduced me to film. It would be wrong to forget that,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Asked if he prefers being an actor or a director, Slamet
\npromptly said he loves working behind the scenes, although he
\nreadily concedes that becoming actor opened a new world to him,
\nimproved his financial standing and provided him with an
\nopportunity to travel. More importantly, he learned about
\ndirecting.<\/p>\n
He twice won Citra awards for best actor in the Indonesian
\nFilm Festival, the first coming in 1975 for Ranjang Pengantin
\n(Matrimonial Bed) and the second in 1983 for his role in Dibalik
\nKelambu (Behind the Mosquito Net).<\/p>\n
\"My experience as an actor has helped me to understand more
\nabout the difficulties actors face,\" Slamet said.<\/p>\n
He has also won two Citra awards for best director -- one in
\n1985 for Kembang Kertas (Paper Flower) and one in 1987 for Kodrat
\n(Destiny).<\/p>\n
Despite his impressive list of achievements, Slamet has
\nremained modest and refuses to watch the screening of his own
\nworks.<\/p>\n
\"I always turn the TV off if any of my films come on. It makes
\nme feel very uncomfortable otherwise. I can't explain why... but
\nI feel that once the creative process has been completed, the
\nfilm is no longer mine. There's some kind of distance. I'm not
\nbeing pretentious, that's exactly what I feel. I can cope with
\ndiscussions or criticism of my films, but I can't watch them,\"
\nsaid the man who has acted in 11 films and directed a further 12.<\/p>\n
His films have not met with domestic commercial success, but
\nthey continue to gain international recognition.<\/p>\n
The 21 group of cinemas screened his 1991 film Langitku
\nRumahku (My Sky My Home) for only one day after it failed to fill
\nthe required minimum number of seats in the first screening. No
\nsuch rule is applied to imported films.<\/p>\n
Slamet then sued PT Perfin, the company in charge of managing
\nthe circulation of domestic films. He claimed it was failing to
\nsupport the development of local films, but the courts did not
\nagree with him.<\/p>\n
On the foreign front, the same film won several awards,
\nincluding the UNESCO Prize for best film about children at the
\nBerlin Film Festival, the Jacques Demy Cup at the Nantes Film
\nFestival in France. It also won awards at the Hawaii and Sydney
\nfilm festivals, and received recognition in Japan and Egypt.<\/p>\n
Of the legal challenge, film critic Marselli Sumarno noted it
\nwas the first time that a dispute over domestic film circulation
\nhad been taken to court.<\/p>\n
\"Even though he lost, the action managed to raise the problem
\nof monopolistic practices in film distribution,\" said Marselli.<\/p>\n
Flop<\/p>\n
Despite his bad luck in the domestic market, Slamet is a great
\nsupporter of the Indonesian film industry and was delighted by
\nthe success of Garin Nugroho's Daun Di Atas Bantal (Leaf on a
\nPillow) and Kuldesak (Cul-de-sac), a collaborative work by Mira
\nLesmana, Nan T. Achnas, Riri Riza and Rizal Mantovani.<\/p>\n
\"I watch Garin's movies. I think the viewers's long for more
\nquality Indonesian films,\" said Slamet, who chairs the Film and
\nTelevision Employees Association and sits on the National Film
\nManagement Committee.<\/p>\n
He noticed that both Daun Di Atas Bantal and Kuldesak had
\nthemes that the audience were familiar with and could relate to
\nstrongly.<\/p>\n
\"Their success shows that given the opportunity, Indonesian
\nfilms can do it.... It also proves that Indonesian people need
\nlocally-made films,\" Slamet said. \"Besides, there are lots of
\nthemes that can be raised on the big screen.\"<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian film industry is maturing and people are
\ngrowing more critical. So just let that develop. Let it grow. No
\nneed to interfere,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Slamet took a break from making films for the big screen after
\nLangitku Rumahku and began to devote large amounts of his time to
\nteaching at the Jakarta Arts Institute. He also made a number of
\ntelevision films, including Suro Buldog and Tajuk (Column).<\/p>\n
He also directed Fatamorgana (Mirage) -- a film commissioned
\nby the Japan Foundation for inclusion in the Southern Winds, a
\nseries of four films co-produced by NHK of Japan which sets out
\nto portray Asia in transition.<\/p>\n
Around the same time he made Anak Hilang (Lost Child), one of
\nthree films made to promote environmental awareness in the
\nEquatorial Trilogy.<\/p>\n
Now Telegram, Slamet's latest film, is in post production. It
\nwill then be mixed and printed in Paris before hitting the silver
\nscreen.<\/p>\n
He has also received a number of offers for his next project,
\none of which was to tackle the issue of HIV\/AIDS.<\/p>\n
\"I'm still thinking about it. How to raise the issue without
\nmaking it stereotypical or a cliche... But it's still just an
\noffer, nothing's set yet,\" said the father of Laras Rahardjo
\nDjarot, 13, and Kasih Rahardjo Djarot, 10.<\/p>\n
So, after 30 years in the film industry, is he satisfied?<\/p>\n
\"Not yet, I feel that the government still does not side with
\nIndonesian films like the American (government) does with
\nHollywood,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Through Hollywood, he said, America can destroy something
\nwithout a bomb, leaving its victims alive but with radically
\nchanged values.<\/p>\n
\"If the government takes sides with Indonesian films, it will
\nallow (former president) Sukarno's slogan that Indonesian is a
\nborn artist to come true.\"<\/p>",
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