Students learn about gender from films<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
The high school students -- still in their gray and white school
\nuniforms -- looked so enthusiastic when renowned Indonesian
\nactress Nurul Arifin asked them what they knew about gender or
\ngender-related issues during a talk show held here recently.<\/p>\n
Some of them were so enthusiastic that they often yelled out
\nanswers, hoping that actress and gender equality activist Nurul
\nwould hear their voices above the clamor.<\/p>\n
\"Well. So, it's that all you know about gender? About being a
\nboy or a girl? If that is so, then I feel sorry for you,\" said
\nNurul, using the phrase \"Kasihan deh loe!\" the way many young
\nIndonesians do, moving her finger down forming a spiral in the
\nair.<\/p>\n
That was the scene at a talk show titled Gender Identity &
\nRelationships in British and Indonesian Films, which was held as
\npart of the annual British Film Festival from Jan. 29 to Feb. 27
\nin the cities of Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Malang, Makasar and Medan.<\/p>\n
The festival is being held for two days at each city, except
\nin Makasar, where it ran for three days. There are two main
\nevents at each festival stop; film screenings and a discussion on
\nday one and a presentation competition for high school students
\non day two.<\/p>\n
Unlike previous years, at this year's festival, the fourth,
\nthe British Council in Indonesia invited five prominent high
\nschools in the five participating cities to take part in the
\nfestival. The schools are SMA 8 Jakarta, SMA 3 Yogyakarta, SMAK
\nSt. Albertus Malang, SMA 1 Makasar and SMA Harapan Medan.<\/p>\n
\"We visited (university) campuses last year. Now we are going
\nto school,\" British Council public relations manager Mona Monika
\ntold The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the festival in
\nYogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Four of the five cities have already hosted the festival,
\nwhich will conclude in Medan on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27.<\/p>\n
Speaking to The Jakarta Post in Yogyakarta, Mona said that
\npopular young Indonesian filmmakers and actors were also invited
\nto speak at the discussions. Apart from Nurul Arifin, there were
\nfilmmakers Riri Riza, Hanung Bramantyo and Mira Lesmana, and
\nactors Samuel Rizal, Nirina Zubir and Fedi Nuril.<\/p>\n
Two relatively long British films were presented at the
\nfestival. They were The Trouble with Men and Women and School for
\nSeduction. The former, starring Joseph McFadden and Kate
\nAshfield, is about the sentimental experience of a man who meets
\na variety of different women.<\/p>\n
The latter, featuring Kelly Brook and Emily Woof, is about an
\nItalian seductress who turns the world of four English women
\nupside down.<\/p>\n
The films, said Mona, were selected because they were
\nconsidered rich in gender or gender-related issues, and thus they
\nmet the chosen central theme of the festival.<\/p>\n
\"We deliberately chose gender as the central theme because by
\ndoing so we are trying to stimulate the sensitivity of the young
\ngeneration while also focusing their attention on problems
\nrelated to the lack of understanding regarding the issue,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
She added that the social and cultural practices of gender
\ncould be found in all aspects of life, including films.<\/p>\n
Due to the flourishing new generation in Indonesian cinema,
\ntherefore, it is crucial to perceive how gender issues are
\nrepresented in films, through which people can see society's
\nexpectations of appropriate masculine or feminine behavior, she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In films, too, people can learn how complex the process is of
\nacquiring gender identity, which can result in confusion or even
\nfrustration.<\/p>\n
\"We believe that the sooner people acquire an understanding
\nabout gender, the greater the possibility for them to open up
\ntheir horizons toward this issue,\" Mona said.<\/p>\n
The festival, therefore, hopes to encourage young people,
\nespecially those in the 15 to 18 age group, to discover how the
\nconcepts of masculinity and femininity, as influenced by both
\nsocial norms and popular culture, are strong determinants of how
\nthey construct and understand their personal identities.<\/p>\n
Based on these same considerations, the presentation
\ncompetition for high school students had the theme How is gender
\nrepresented in British and Indonesian films?<\/p>\n
The competition was open to all high school students. The
\npresentation was done in groups, each comprising two students.<\/p>\n
A winning group was selected from each of the participating
\ncities. The five winning groups will then be invited to Jakarta
\nfor the final presentation competition to be held on March 11.<\/p>\n
Two of the five groups will then be selected to take part in a
\n10-day visit to London, where they will meet students at several
\nLondon high schools and introduce Indonesian films and discuss
\ngender issues in film. They are also scheduled to visit the
\nBritish Film Institute and museums, and attend theater
\nperformances and others events.<\/p>\n
\"The visit was initially scheduled for March, but was later
\npostponed to April because schools there are on vacation on the
\nscheduled dates in March,\" Mona explained.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-learn-about-gender-from-films-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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