British Film Festival: The edgier side of living in the UK
David Kennedy, Contributor, Jakarta, d_kenn@yahoo.com
The annual British Film Festival is back, and while it cannot boast being the biggest film festival in the country, its organizers say it's the "edgiest".
Does that mean that you will feel edgy and ill at ease when you watch the films? Well, you might, or at least you may be uncomfortable, because about half of these films are designed not so much to entertain you as to illicit a response. You will not find it easy to sink into your seat and just soak the stories in -- they provoke and challenge the viewer.
"This year we are challenging the audience's understanding of the UK, the stereotype that it's only about ceremonies and monarchy," said British Council communications manager Simon Giverin.
"The films are mostly edgy, a bit disturbing, maybe off the mainstream but they show the country and the people, warts and all."
The festival is screening nine feature-length films and seven short films from Sept. 24 until Oct. 6.
It has grown in size and prestige each year since its debut in 1998, with close to 17,000 people watching 10 films in cities across Java at last year's screenings.
This year a selection of commercially successful films is on offer alongside the quirky offbeat human dramas the public has come to expect from British cinema.
"The selection is better than last year; there is one film less but those on offer are among the best and the latest UK productions. We have a great mix of themes," said Helly Minarti, head of arts at the British Council, explaining that the films cover a variety of genres, including romance, drama, comedy, thriller and horror.
The festival features a number of major films, including Iris, the Oscar-winning biopic of the author Iris Murdoch starring Judi Dench and Kate Winslet. 24 Hour Party People is a comic account of the birth of punk and rave music in Manchester while 28 Days Later is a very British horror movie from the makers of Trainspotting, low on gore and rich in psychological terror.
Another thriller with a psychological edge, Following, is the debut film from acclaimed "indie" filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who has moved on to make the new Batman movie. It tells the story of a young writer who follows strangers around London to research his novel, but ends up following the wrong person and taking a trip into the dark underbelly of the city.
Die-hard connoisseurs of that particular brand of gritty realism found in British cinema will not be disappointed by All or Nothing, Mike Leigh's latest offering, nominated for a Palmat Cannes in 2002.
Set on a working class housing estate in London, it probes the essence of happiness, misery and love through the lives of a dysfunctional family and how they react in a crisis. All or Nothing has all the edginess, humanity and humor of Leigh's award winning Secrets and Lies.
In similar vein is The Martins (previously named "Tosspot"), a curious, almost depressing comedy about an unemployed dreamer who decides to "steal" a holiday for his family.
The Long Good Friday, the quintessential British gangster movie, staring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren, is also featured. First released in 1980, the film has just been rereleased in the UK. This is the real McCoy that spawned a whole genre of thug movies, the latest noteworthy installments being Guy Richie's Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.
No British film festival would be complete without a period drama, and Jane Austen's Mansfield Park is both a passionate tale of a decadent aristocratic family and an indictment of the slave trade.
Unlike previous years there will be no film workshops at this festival but a seminar on period costume design and film fashion will take place on the first day of screening at the S. Widjojo center, with accomplished costume designer Iris Supit and Ichwan Toha, designer of the Urban Crew fashion label.
More art-house style than previous years, films will be screened this year at the Widjojo Center in South Jakarta and on university campuses in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Semarang, instead of in commercial cinemas. This is partly due to British embassy advice to avoid large public events because of security concerns of recent months, but it is also in response to the large student audience the festival traditionally attracts.
Entry is free to all, though for screenings at the Widjojo Center tickets must be reserved in advance.
British Film Festival Sept. 24 to Oct. 6. Information and tickets at 021-252 4115; or www.britishcouncil.or.id
Venues: * S. Widjojo Center, rooftop auditorium, Jl. Jend. Sudirman 71, Central Jakarta.
Tarumanegara University, School Of Arts And Design, No.1 Block K. 4th floor, Jl. Let.Jend. S. Parman, West Jakarta * Atma Jaya Catholic University, Yustinus Building, 15th floor Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Central Jakarta. * University of Indonesia, Building 1, Room 1101, School of Cultural Sciences, Depok, West Java. * Parahyangan Catholic University, Audio Visual Room - FISIP, Jl. Ciumbuleit, No. 94, Bandung. * Gadjah Mada University, LakFip UGM, Bulak Sumur, Yogyakarta * University of Surabaya (UBAYA), Kalirungkut, Surabaya.