Daring new production house breathes life into RI films
By Sori Siregar
JAKARTA (JP): Somewhere in Tokyo, a place called Graha Indonesia exhibits and sells sculptures of Irian Jaya's Asmat tribe.
A new addition is a counter where visitors can watch videos of Indonesian television dramas. This is how a production house, PT Sinema Sejati, is promoting its products overseas.
Graha is organized and run by Seichi Okawa, the Tokyo correspondent of an Indonesian weekly magazine. When he was in Indonesia two months ago, he visited the office of Sinema Sejati in Kebayoran, Jakarta.
He watched the drama film Penari (Dancer) and a 13-episode series called Arjuna Mencari Cinta (Arjuna Seeking Love).
He said he was prepared to promote and sell the two productions to NHK TV station or other local networks in Japan.
The president director of Sinema Sejati, Kemala Atmojo, welcomed Okawa's enthusiasm.
Sinema Sejati is a relatively new production house in Jakarta. Founded on March 11, 1997, it has already produced four TV dramas and one film.
Arjuna Mencari Cinta, based on the novel by Yudhistira ANM Massardi and directed by Sam Sarumpaet, has been purchased by private television station ANteve and is scheduled to be screened this month.
Three other TV films, Penari, which is based on a short story by Seno Gumira Ajidarma, Sunyi Nirmala (Nirmala's Loneliness, based on the novel by Ashadi Siregar) and Dalam Bayangan Ibu (In Mother's Shadow, based on a short story by Najib Kertapati) are now being offered to TV studios.
By normal standards completing films before knowing who is going to buy them -- or whether anyone is even interested -- is a foolhardy approach. This is even more so when the products are not the usual commercial soap operas.
For the 90-minute Penari, for instance, Sinema Sejati spent Rp 125 million.
Meanwhile, the only theatrical film made by the production house, Sri, written and directed by Marselli Sumarno, is now being mixed and edited for release.
Sinema Sejati has met with a mixed welcome. Some say the production house is too daring.
Customarily, a production house offers its scenario first to TV studios for an agreement before it starts production. This assures that the film will be bought by a TV station.
Sinema Sejati says it has taken this risk to avoid a further risk -- having to compromise quality for viewers used to a diet of low-quality soap operas.
TV studios are interested only in productions certain to land hefty ratings, however how deficient it may be in substance and artistic values.
Kemala, explaining his seemingly suicidal policy, "Sinema Sejati was founded as a response to the death of the Indonesian cinema movie".
Profit remains a target, but the most important thing is that it should be earned by giving something valuable to the viewers, Kemala said.
By watching the productions and educational messages in subtle packaging, viewers, he added, "would better know the meaning of life, of themselves and their environment".
Sinema Sejati's starting capital was Rp 1.5 billion and it has spent about Rp 3 billion for productions.
It is now trying hard to market its product domestically as well as overseas to seek more capital. It is now listed on the Internet in the Movie Market Homepage and the New York-based magazine Variety Catalogues. It also cooperates with moviemaker and distributor Miramax to sell its products.
Another cooperation is with a foreign artist, playwright and director Jason Moore, for filmmaking in Indonesia and the United States.
By offering serious products depicting social problems, Kemala is confident that viewers will tend to think rationally and not be gullible and easily satisfied as is the common assumption.
Sinema is adamant about not producing films with storylines containing mysticism and action, popular ingredients of today's programs on local TV stations.
"Let them (others) do it, don't ask me to do so," Kemala said.
But he added that production houses need to play their role in changing viewers' taste to increase the quality of TV dramas.
At least three series are in the pipeline for this idealistic company: Di Antara Dua Wanita (Between Two Women) by Prasanti in 26 episodes),Midnight Cafe by Seno Gumira Ajidarma and Hati Yang Berkabut (The Clouded Heart) by Najib Kertapati in 30 episodes.