Calls surge to replace LSF

By Joko E.H. Anwar

JAKARTA (JP): During the New Order era, the film censorship board was a government tool used to ban movies considered a threat to the ruling party.

The board was also known to be merciless when it came to cutting scenes it considered erotic or too violent.

Today, the Film Censorship Institution (LSF) appears to be less active with its scissors, but its work is still considered invasive since it often cuts scenes inappropriately.

The censorship board members seem to think that they are not only entitled to cut scenes which they consider too violent or too erotic, they also apparently think it is their right to decide whether the moral of a film is suitable for viewers or not.

Academy Award winning film Belle Epoque, which was shown at theaters here last month, is evidence of how local censorship has taken away viewers' right to determine a film's value.

The board cut several scenes from the film which were neither erotic or violent but challenged viewers values, which made the film lose its context.

For a film of Belle Epoque's quality, it was a shame.

Critic-turned-filmmaker Marselli Sumarno said the film censorship board should be replaced by an independent body which would rate films instead of censor them.

"There should be a board established by film people themselves to rate films; which films are for children, for adults, and so on," director of Sri said, adding that theaters should then strictly apply the rating system.

Documentary filmmaker Shanty Harmayn echoed Marselli's opinion, saying a board in charge of rating films was needed.

In the United States, every film to be shown at theaters must be submitted to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to be rated.

The MPAA rates films with the following symbols: G (General Audiences: All ages admitted), PG (Parental Guidance Suggested: some material may be inappropriate for children under 13), PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned: Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13), R (Restricted: Children under 17 require accompanying parent or adult guardian) and NC-17 (No Children Under 17 Admitted).

Since most movie theaters strictly apply the system, a rating which enables a wider audience to see a film means a greater chance for a producer to earn a larger profit.

The censorship board here also rates films, which is futile since it cuts out the scenes it considers erotic or too violent or morally unacceptable.

One film which was rejected by the board is Threesome, a drama based on a love triangle between a young woman and two men, one of whom happens to be a homosexual.

The film has been judged unsuitable for screening here due to its theme and has been deemed "obscene" despite the fact that the film contains far fewer intimate scenes compared to many other films released here.

"We strictly hold on to Indonesian values," LSF chairwoman Tatiek Maliyati told The Jakarta Post during a recent interview at her office.

Tatiek said that currently there are 45 people on the board, some of whom are ulemas and other religious leaders. Others are experts in education.

Every film is viewed by a team of five members of the board who decide which scenes should be cut or if the film should be approved for local screening.

The current ratings applied by the board are Semua Umur (all ages admitted), Remaja (no preteens admitted) and Dewasa (adults).

Tatiek, however, refused to let the Post see how members of a team work, saying it would spoil their concentration.

However, a log book belonging to the board which contains a list of films which have not been passed by the board shows that the board often rejects a film for a ridiculous reason.

For an example, feature-length animated film South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut has not been passed for release in VCD since it is "a film which is obviously propaganda since the film shows a penis on Saddam Hussein's face".

The fact that the widely popular series on which the feature- length film is based makes fun of everyone is obviously not known by the board members.

However, both filmmaker Shanty and Marselli agree that the censorship board today is more tolerant with films.

Shanty, who also organized the film event of the year, the second Jakarta International Film Festival (JiFFest), said the censorship board had given preferential treatment to films for the festival.

"The LSF treated the films as festival films. For example, they didn't cut the kind of scenes they normally would, but we had to blur particular scenes," Shanty, who is also a professor of documentary production at the Jakarta Art Institute (IKJ), said.

Shanty also corrected an earlier report which claimed that one of the films which was supposed to be shown at the festival, Kadosh, had not been passed by the censorship board.

The Israeli-France film tells the story of two sisters who are confronted with the pressure of their faith.

"The board passed the film but we received a protest from a group called the Anti-Zionist Gathering Committee," Shanty said.