FFII: A good place to start for directors
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
"This is the victory of a concept! The triumph of the poor Muslim people! We are against the infidels! People always choose material things over conscience! From now on, let's always push poverty to the surface!"
That is not an excerpt from a speech by Muslim hard-liners Laskar Jihad or the Islam Defenders Front.
No, this enthusiastic statement came from film director C.C. Fabriyono.
His short film, Suatu Siang Di Perkampungan Kalimati Karet Bivak (An Afternoon in Kalimati Village in Karet Bivak), had just won first prize in the general category at the Indonesian Independent Film Festival (FFII), sponsored by private TV station SCTV and held last Friday.
Sporting a rimless cap and a healthy dose of self-esteem, Fabriyono created a scene that would fit nicely in another short film.
Hopefully, with the Rp 35 million he and his partner won, plus a Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur return air ticket, he will still remember those poor people living near the Karet Bivak cemetery who were the subject of his film.
In contrast to Fabriyono, the first-prize winner in the student film category, Nicholas Yudifar, appeared a bit puzzled, albeit happy, when he accepted his award.
"Well, this is unexpected," mumbled the senior at SMU Trinitas High School in Bandung.
Nicholas' friend and the lead actor in his film, Borland Bangun! Ayo Sekolah! (Borland, Wake Up! Let's Go To School!), was much more ecstatic about the whole affair.
"Hi, Mom, Dad ... ," he said to the camera, greeting everyone he knows when he was interviewed by a television station.
Outside the festival venue, Reka Wijaya Kusuma and friends, whose film Amok made it to the final, could not hide their disappointment.
"It would have been great to have won the money, because we still owe some people who loaned us money to make this film," laughed Reka, 24.
In the general category, the prizes were Rp 35 million for first place, Rp 25 million for second and Rp 15 million for third. In the student category, the prizes were Rp 30 million, Rp 20 million and Rp 10 million.
"But getting into the last 10 is great," Reka said.
He has a point, because being one of the 10 finalists meant already beating out 727 other films, some by celebrities such as Anjasmara and Ine Febriyanti.
The first film festival to be sponsored by the TV station, it attracted 747 entries from all over the country.
"What is more surprising and exhilarating, the films were spread out evenly across the map. They even came from small cities like Cilacap (Central Java) and Berau (East Kalimantan)," said the head of the selection team, Gotot Prakosa, who is a lecturer at the Jakarta Arts Institute.
"An interesting thing is, the participant from Cilacap made a 25-minute 3-D animated film which required complicated computer techniques. That's just amazing. That means films are growing everywhere in the country. That's such a pleasing and important thing."
The entries covered the whole spectrum of film genres, from drama and comedy to mystery and more.
"Some 40 percent of the films were about drugs. Participants from the regions sent films with very local, unique and original ideas," Gotot said.
Gotot's team chose 20 films from all of the entries, which were then judged by a jury comprising director Maruli Ara, film critic Leila S. Chudori, producer/director Paquita Widjaja, director/producer Nan T. Achnas and director John De Rantau.
According to Nan, the technical aspects of the films were not really the priority, considering many of the participants were beginners. The important things were the ideas, the consistency of the films and their plots.
"We chose (Suatu Siang) as the winner because the filmmakers were able to make a 20-minute film with only one take, one shot. There's even a flashback in the take. It's amazing," she said.
Suatu Siang is about a man who lives near a cemetery and steals gold teeth from the corpses.
"As for Borland, the characterization and the plot were very clear, and very appropriate for a short film," Nan said of the film about a student who runs into numerous obstacles on his way to school.
While the majority of finalists were first-time filmmakers, there were also some experienced directors.
The third-prize winner in the general category, Nanang Istiabudi, for example, is already known as a talented young filmmaker. An earlier film of his, Revolusi Harapan (Revolution of Hope), was praised as an excellent art-house film.
"I think the competition was fair despite some of the participants already having experience. There were a lot of experienced filmmakers who didn't make it to the final," Nan said.
According to a member of SCTV's public relations staff, Harryanto, the films that made it to the finals will be brought from campus to campus to be shown.
"And starting on July 7, within six weeks, we will also air the winners (on SCTV)," he said.
As for the other 14 finalists, Harryanto said SCTV would offer to air the films, with the filmmakers receiving some compensation.
Nan said organizers would evaluate the festival, which will be held again next year, so there could be some sort of follow-up.
"We don't want this event to stop at this. For example, we could offer the filmmakers workshops, because many of them still need to improve their technical skills, which is a pity because they have great potential."
For Nicholas, he hopes his award will serve as a stepping- stone to bigger and better things.
"I actually came to Jakarta to get some information about IKJ (the Jakarta Arts Institute). It's great that I also won a scholarship there because of this festival."
The winners of the Indonesian Independent Film Festival 2002
Student Category: 1. Borland Bangun! Ayo Sekolah! (Borland, Wake Up! Let's Go To School!)/Directed by Nicholas Yudifar, 2. DAMN/Directed by Resha Kristianti, 3. Hitam Putih (Black and White)/Directed by Ronald Hendrawan
General Category: 1. Suatu Siang Di Perkampungan Kalimati Karet Bivak (An Afternoon at Kalimati Willage in Karet Bivak)/Directed by C.C. Fabriyono, 2. D'Illusions/Directed by Lana Mutisari, 3. DARK-Di Atas Rel Kereta (On the Railroad Tracks)/Directed by Nanang Istiabudi