Acehnese reprise their lives in new documentary

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).