Asia-Pacific Film Festival struggling for recognition
By Marselli Sumarno
JAKARTA (JP): The 40th Asia-Pacific Film Festival (APFF) starts today in Jakarta. Some 30 feature films and 10 documentaries will enter the four day competition. Fourteen countries from the Asia-Pacific region including Japan, Hong Kong, India, Australia and New Zealand are taking part in the event.
This year's festival is significant for Indonesia because it has not held its own Indonesian Film Festival for the past three years due to a reduction of national film production and the absolute lack of quality films.
A more interesting issue, however, is the future of the APFF itself. Forty years for a film festival is not a short period. Compare it with other festivals: The Cannes Festival is only 49 years old and the Berlin Film Festival 45. So, why is the APFF, even in Asia, not an important festival yet?
Most observers already know the answers: the APFF is not competent enough to develop itself; the participants are limited to the 14 member-countries; the venue moves from place to place; and the awards don't carry sufficient prestige.
The APFF was preceded by the establishment of the Asian Film Producers Federation in Japan in 1953. The aim of the federation was to boost the interests of film industry in Asian countries, to improve artistic standards, to step up film distribution and to contribute to friendly relations among the participating countries.
In the following year the Asian Film Festival was held for the first time. Japan was honored with organizing the festival. Then, the festival moved from one country to another. There were no festivals in 1968 and 1981. Japan has hosted the event the most, eight times.
Australia joined in 1975 and New Zealand followed in 1978, but the name Asia-Pacific Film Festival was not officially adopted until 1983. Many people think the two countries joined for political reasons because, despite their close geographic location to Asia, their cultures differ greatly from Asian culture.
The lack of a permanent festival venue has led to host countries not placing priority on the films but instead creating a party atmosphere with numerous lunches, dinners and tourist excursions.
The evaluation of films is primarily done by jury members from the organizing country who grant (local) awards to the winners, making the occasion semi-competitive. Consequently, there is a tendency to share many awards.
"There is always a compromise to share the awards," the late director Wahyu Sihombing said at the 34th APFF in Jakarta in 1989. So, despite the prizes, it is felt there is a lack of prestige.
APFF's inability to develop is reflected in the small number of participating countries. Moreover, the festival hasn't helped develop a film market in itself. Apparently economic regionalism, the trend in the Asia-Pacific, has not touched the Asian film industry.
Indonesia, which is now hosting the festival for the fifth time, has prepared a number of supporting programs. Turino Junaedi, chairman of the Indonesian film producers' association and chairman of the festival's organizing committee, says that the supporting programs will mainly be seminars on conditions in the film world and on production cooperation possibilities among Asia-Pacific countries.
The dismal condition of Indonesian film making has prompted the National Film Council to subsidize two directors, Garin Nugroho and N. Riantiarno, US$ 300,000 each to make their latest productions.
Young director Garin Nugroho has used the subsidy for his third film Bulan dan Ilalang (Moon and Grass), a psychological drama with its three main characters (a traditional music composer, his wife and his pupil) torn between jealousy and love. The two-hour film has a tragic ending.
N. Riantarno, a well-known dramatist, has made his first film with Cemeng 2005 (The last primadonna). It relates the disintegration of a traditional arts group due to the changing times. At the closing of the film, some members of the group perform at a garbage dump.
Both Bulan dan Ilalang and Cemeng 2005 are favorites to represent Indonesia in the APFF. Other Indonesia films shown will be Sesal (Regret) directed by Sophan Sophiaan, and the story of a legend which has special effects shot in the sea, Dewi Angin Angin (Goddess of the winds) by Ackyl Anwari.
Indonesia last won the best film award for Doea Tanda Mata (Two tokens) by Teguh Karya in 1986. It also took home the top award for Apa Yang Kau Cari Palupi? (What are you looking for, Palupi?) by Asrul Sani in 1970, and Pengantin Remaja (Adolescent bride and bridegroom) by Wim Umboh in 1971.
It is not clear whether the APFF will be better-off in the future. This will strongly depend on the organizers and their courage to compete with younger festivals such as the film festivals of Singapore and Tokyo.
Turino Junaedi says there are plans to register the APFF with international film festival organizations. Then the APFF could attract films and delegations from around the world. "That will be a leap forward for the APFF," he remarked.
If the plan is realized, the future of the APFF will be bright. Will the APFF in Auckland, New Zealand, change in appearance? We shall have to wait until next year to see.
Marselli Sumarno is a film critic and a lecturer at the film department of the Jakarta Arts Institute.