Acehnese reprise their lives in new documentary

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The suffering inflicted by the tsunami in Aceh could provide enough material for thousands of films based on the survivors efforts to come to terms with the near-apocalyptic disaster.

Christine Hakim Film is one of film studios that quickly seized the opportunity to shoot a film based on the disaster.

The studio has recently wrapped up the production of Serambi (veranda), a feature documentary film that explores an intergenerational bond between survivors.

The film portrays the stories of Tari, a girl who lost her friends to the tidal wave, Lisa, a teenager who tries to make sense of the disaster, and Usman and Jaelani, who were left alone in the wake of the tsunami.

After a limited screening, the film was premiered last Wednesday at the plush Ex Plaza in Central Jakarta.

But rather than dwelling on the suffering of the tsunami victims, Serambi focuses on the sunny side of the characters' new lives after the tidal wave.

Serambi, directed by noted filmmaker Garin Nugroho and three other talented directors, Viva Westi, Tony Trimarsanto and Lianto Luseno, follows the daily activities of its characters, ranging from starting out anew and making new friends to struggling to make ends meet.

The film was shot in its entirety in Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, two of Acehnese towns hardest hit by the tsunami. Production started in February.

Post-production for the film was carried out in Jakarta and Paris, France.

The film's production team had to work hard to tutor the actors, who portrayed themselves and who had never acted before in front of a camera.

The film's title is taken from Serambi Mecca (Veranda of Mecca), which is the name given to Aceh in recognition of the fact that it was one of the first parts of Indonesia to embrace Islam.

The title is also an allusion to the fact that after the tsunami Aceh turned into a meeting place for people from around the world who arrived to help out with the reconstruction effort. Hence, a veranda, or a place where people can meet.

The film's producer, award-winning actress Christine Hakim, said that the film would provide the perfect vehicle for people from outside Aceh to learn about the state of mind of the Acehnese in the wake of the disaster.

Garin said that the film was rendered powerful as it was a documentary. "The documentary is the drama itself, the story itself and an indispensable part of the fiction itself," Garin said in a statement.

Both Garin and Hakim are familiar to the Acehnese.

Hakim played Acehnese female hero Tjoet Nja' Dien in the film of the same name. The film, released in 1988 and directed by director-turned-politician Eros Djarot, became an instant classic and has won dozens of awards both at home and abroad.

In 1999, Garin directed Puisi Tak Terkuburkan (Unconcealed Poetry), a film about an Acehnese poet who was accused of being involved in the abortive coup attempt by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).