Berlinale: A gauge of climate for RI film

Berlinale: A gauge of climate for RI film

Paul F. Agusta, Contributor/pfa0109@yahoo.com

A lively discussion on the Berlinale at the Goethe Haus cultural center in Menteng recently turned the spotlight on efforts to put Indonesia on the world cinema map through participation in international festivals and workshops.

The discussion, which opened with comments by local filmmaker Garin Nugroho, featured documentary shorts on activities at the Berlin Film Festival, or Berlinale, by Tintin Wulia, the Bali- based short filmmaker and distributor, as well as presentations by film journalists Seno Joko Suyono of Tempo magazine and Lisabona Rahman.

"The Berlinale opens each year and functions as the barometer for what is to come in the international film industry and serves as a good way to preview the mood of the year's films," said Garin Nugroho, who served as a member of the Jury of The Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) at this year's Berlinale.

This world-renowned festival has always served as a dependable gauge of the climate for non-Hollywood films. Taking more of a substance over style stance compared to the Cannes Film Festival or the Oscars, the Berlinale has always focused more on films with sociopolitical themes rather than artistic content or commercial viability.

For example, all of the films in competition for the coveted Golden Bear this February had social elements, with topics ranging from the aftermath of apartheid in South Africa to the plight of immigrants in Europe. The winner of the Golden Bear was a film titled Gegen Die Wand (Head-On), a German-produced film by Turkish director Fatih Akin concerning two young lovers from among the minority group of Turkish immigrants in Germany.

Outside of the core competition, interesting films, ranging from shorts to documentaries to features, from all over the world are screened at the Berlinale, including offerings from Asia, in particular China, Japan, Korea and Thailand. Indonesia has had films in the festival in the past, but was noticeably absent this year.

"Nobody from Indonesia is able to enter the big festivals. The filmmakers are just playing around, they are not serious ... there are no clear movements here, just trend followers," lamented Garin Nugroho whose films have been shown at the Berlinale in the past.

"The quality is up and down, inconsistent, no pluralism here in themes or in directors. Even the film critics capitalize on small successes here ... talent resources and themes, milking them for all they are worth. It is all jargon. We have to quit this habit or we will never make it," Garin emphasized.

In an article published in Tempo magazine earlier this year, which commented on the presence of Asian movies, in particular Thai films, at the Berlinale, as well as touching on Indonesia's potential to enter this and other international festivals, Garin elaborated more fully on what he believes the Indonesian film community needs to do to gain wider recognition.

"(T)he development of a country's cinematic generation in the context of the world map has to be based on the flexible and resilient mastery of global technology, in the adequate creativity to bring up local issues within a global dimension, and the ability to present variety in thematic perspective," Garin wrote.

"These notes should become a mirror for Indonesian cinema to show that it is certainly not easy to incorporate the cinematic map of a single country into the cinematic map of the world. Let the growth of Thai cinema be something to reflect on in the midst of the current euphoric developments in Indonesian cinema. The new generation of local films, from Eliana-Eliana to Arisan, have not been able to break through into the Berlin Festival or Cannes, which are the measuring sticks for world cinema outside of the Oscars," Garin commented.

"Indonesia has potential among its younger directors -- it all comes down to professionalism, consistency, variety and the ability to astutely raise local issues through global cinematic technology ...," Garin wrote.

Tintin Wulia took a slightly different stance from the view inherent in Garin's comments during the discussion at the Goethe Haus at Jl. Sam Ratulangi No. 9-15 on April 24. She said: "It's realistic, but it's not bleak at all. There is always hope ... it's up to us how we are going to respond."

During the session, Tintin showed a series of short films about her experiences as a participant of the Berlinale Talent Campus, a global exchange of cinematic ideas for young filmmakers from all over the world held annually during the festival. Tintin was the only participant from Indonesia taking part this year.

"The Berlinale Talent Campus is a great opportunity for young Indonesian filmmakers to hone their skills, exchange ideas, expand their horizons and network with film people from all over the world," she said enthusiastically.

The Berlinale Talent Campus is basically a brief educational program comprised of lectures and workshops covering everything from scriptwriting and cinematography, to composing music for film. Lecturers at the Talent Campus are world-renowned film professionals, such as legendary film editor Walter Murch.

The Berlin Festival also offers the Berlinale Talent Press, a dynamic workshop for young film journalists, who get important hands-on experience by helping to produce a daily newsletter for festival participants throughout the event. Lisabona Rahman was the only Talent Press participant from Indonesia this year.

For further information on the Berlinale Talent Campus and the Berlinale Talent Press workshop, please check out the website at www.berlinale-talentcampus.de, or contact Goethe-Institut Jakarta at PO Box 3640, Jakarta 10036, telephone (021) 235-50208 or facsimile (021) 235-50021.