'Daun di Atas Bantal' honored at Tokyo film festival

'Daun di Atas Bantal' honored at Tokyo film festival

JAKARTA (JP): Garin Nugroho's Daun di Atas Bantal (Leaf on a
Pillow) has been awarded a special prize by the Tokyo
International Film Festival 1998 jury and is ready for showing in
a number of art-film cinemas in Japan.

The festival, from Oct. 31 through Nov. 8, presented 17 films
selected from hundreds of films from 20 countries. Apart from
Indonesia, other Asian participants were Taiwan, China, South
Korea, Japan and Turkey, as well as participants from Europe and
the United States.

The festival's main prize went to Spanish director Alejandro
Amenabar for his film Open Your Eyes, which had won seven best
film awards in his country in 1996. British director Guy Ritchie
received the best director accolade for his film Lock, Stock and
Two Smoking Barrels.

In the full competition category, the festival also conferred
best artistic contribution to director Francois Girard from
Canada for his film The Red Violin and Chris Eyre from the U.S.
for Smoke Signal.

Maki Miyamoto of Japan received the best actress award for her
performance in Geisha House. The American film Apt Pupil won Brad
Renfro the best actor award.

From his hotel room in Tokyo, Garin said in a statement to
Antara on Monday: "The competition at this festival was very
keen."

Among the participants were Bryan Singer of the U.S., who won
two Oscar categories with Usual Suspect, and Nuri Bilge Ceylan of
Turkey, director of The Small Town, winner of an award at the
Calligary Berlin Film Festival, and who also competed at the
Cannes International Film Festival, France.

Daun di Atas Bantal was the second Indonesian film entered in
the festival's full competition. The first was Bulan Tertusuk
Ilalang (And the Moon Dances), also by Garin Nugroho (1995/1996).
Previously, two Indonesian films, Tjoet Njak Dhien by Eros Sugeng
Djarot and Surat untuk Bidadari (A Letter for the Angel) by Garin
entered the competition for young filmmakers.

Daun di Atas Bantal, produced and starred by Christine Hakim,
is a story about street children. It has been shown for over one
month in high-category cinemas in Jakarta.

Garin said that, commercially speaking, the film showed signs
of success. During its making, mostly in Yogyakarta, the film had
to be shot twice due to camera damage. They were able to continue
after the National Film Assessment Board provided a Rp 250
million loan.

The film will be circulated in Japan by Iwanami Hall. It plans
to show the film in Tokyo cinemas in July 1999.

Garin said Iwanami Hall is a pioneer in art cinemas. It enjoys
a high reputation because it chooses quality films and has a
select audience.

"Iwanami Hall's characteristic is to always show a film for
more than one month," Garin added.

After the Tokyo International Film Festival, Garin will send
Daun di Atas Bantal to the Asia-Pacific Film Festival in Taipei,
Taiwan, in December 1998, and the Rotterdam Film Festival in the
Netherlands in January 1999, as well as other international
festivals.

Also a winner in the Tokyo festival was Lee Kwang-mo of South
Korea, with his film Spring in My Hometown, who was awarded the
gold award for the category of young director (under 35 years
old). The silver award was given to Nuri Bilge Ceylan of Turkey
for The Small Town.

Iranian director Abolfazl Jalili with Dance of Dust was
awarded in the Asia special category. Also in this category, a
special award went to Kiyoshi Kurosawa for Qualified to Live and
Aktan Abdikalikov for The Adopted Son.

The Tokyo International Film Festival 1998 was chaired by
producer/director Jeremy Thomas, known for The Last Emperor
(winner of nine Oscars in 1987), Stealing Beauty (1986) and
Little Buddha (1993).

Other members of the festival were film critic Noboru Akiyama
of Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun and three others from Africa,
Bosnia and China.

Among the Hollywood stars who attended the festival's opening
were Bruce Willis and Liv Tyler. A special screening during the
festival presented Joe Black, a new Hollywood film by Martin
Brest, which stars Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. The Festival
also showed a number of British films from the 1930s until today.

In special remembrance of Japan's late film emperor, Akira
Kurosawa, the festival presented his 30 works.