Hopes, doubts greet film festival return

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It could be of the gigantic upswept hairdos, the Citra trophy or autograph hunting, but those born before the 1980s are likely to recollect the Indonesian Film Festival (FFI).

That recollection may include its significance in cultivating and influencing public opinion on quality local films during its heyday in the 1970s and '80s.

"It was such a big deal for everyone, including filmmakers," reminisced director Riri Riza of the festival, inaugurated in 1973.

"Filmmakers are, of course, delighted to have their works appreciated. Films become very important."

Riri was a student at the film school of the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) when the last FFI was held in 1992.

Now a producer and the director of several films that could be nominated in the festival, to be held on Dec. 11, he said he was eager to relive the atmosphere of years past.

He is not alone; many others also yearned for the glittering festival, which was halted as Hollywood blockbusters gained a stranglehold at movie theaters and local film production petered to a halt.

FFI's revival comes in tandem with the increased film production of recent years. From one film released in 2000, there were four in 2001, eight in 2002, 13 in 2003 and 18 in 2004.

It is still a paltry number compared to the robust film production in Asian neighbors like India or the Philippines, but enough for the nominations needed for a film festival.

It follows the first MTV Indonesia Movie Award in October, with the public making their picks in 10 different categories.

Held in typically funky MTV style, with an irreverent but crisp script, the categories included such offbeat choices as Best Crying Scene.

FFI 2004's head of committee, director/producer Adisurya Abdy, said there was the need for a standard measurement of film quality to determine the progress or decline in the local film scene, long the role of FFI.

"So FFI is like a venue to unify the perceptions of the film community. FFI also confirms a filmmaker's identity."

Riri agreed that a national-scale film festival was needed to set a standard, such as in picking the official representative from this country in international film festivals.

"Our entries for the Asia Pacific Film Festival, for instance, have been questionable. It's unclear why the entries are mostly films from Multivision and Star Vision," Riri said, referring to film companies owned by TV soaps moguls Ram Punjabi and Chand Parwez, which churn out critically panned, lowbrow fare.

Adisurya said the idea to revive FFI had been around for several years, but funding constraints prevented it from being realized.

Organized by the State Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Film Management Committee (BP2N), the FFI committee was finally able to gather Rp 5 billion (US$556,000) from the ministry and several sponsors.

Categories in FFI 2004, spanning the period 2000 to 2004, include Best Picture, Best Television Film, Best Script, Best Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Film Critic and Best Director.

Juries are not limited to people involved in the film community, but also include noted figures from different fields, such as writer Ayu Utami, former state minister of women's empowerment Khofifah Indar Parawansa, presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng and sociologist Imam Prasodjo (this writer is also a member of the short-film panel).

But some contend jury members should only come from the film community, whether filmmakers or critics.

"If the reason for not using people from the film scene is because of the fear of conflict of interest, that doesn't make sense. I've been a jury member at several international film festivals, and about 80 percent of the jury come from the film community," said director Garin Nugroho.

Riri argued that film organization in this country was still more well-rounded than other arts organization, including BP2N, the Film Censorship Institute (LSF), not to mention private and independent film organizations.

"So it's a bit ironic that the FFI jury does not comprise people involved in the local film scene. The committee should've communicated it to the public, so we know what's going on and we know that the jury involved knows what they're talking about."

The PR savvy necessary to put on an inviting, interesting film event is clearly still lacking compared to other regional festivals.

For the Pusan International Film Festival in South Korea, for instance, banners promoting the event are numerous and regular screenings ensure that the public is aware of what is going on.

For FFI 2004, the media exposure is small, and the only promotional banners are at the film building housing the offices of BP2N and LSF on Jl. MT Haryono, South Jakarta.

FFI's website, www.filmindonesia.net, is always under construction. Many have tried to log onto www.ffi.esmartdesign.com, mistakenly assuming the hoax site is an official one.

The website lists "nominees", but they will only be finalized on Dec. 4. And a short film listed as one of the nominees is not even among the entries.

Director Jay Subijakto is baffled by the approach of the organizing committee.

"Everything is so formal, bureaucratic ... It's like deja vu New Order," he said, referring to the government of president Soeharto from the late 1960s to 1998.

Granted, FFI was indeed nothing like the Academy Awards, let alone the MTV Movie Award. It was more like a staid government ceremony, with the information minister on hand to open the event and deliver long-winded speeches.

Films contravening the government view of things were not up for consideration.

Adisurya admitted that the work ethos of people remained stuck in the old-fashioned ways. "We can't suddenly change that."

Even the fringe events supporting the festival are a strange hodgepodge.

Instead of an intensive schedule of screenings, the public can choose from a photo exhibition, charity night, traditional leather puppet show, acting competition and billiard tournament as part of the festival.

"The festival should not stop at giving awards. There should be a lot of discussions and discourse about local films. In the past, there were usually some film critics who discussed the nominated films on television. That's like educating the audience as well," Riri said.

Garin said the festival must be critical about the problems affecting the local film industry, like the stifling tax policy and the structure of the industry.

"Even thought it is government funded, it still has to be independent," said Garin, who failed to submit his films for consideration in time.

The only criticism on the contemporary situation from the festival came from Ratna Sarumpaet, women's activist and a member of the selection committee for television films, who stated that most TV films were offensive to women.

Observers like Jay worry that the festival will fail to live up to its objectives in defining quality film vehicles.

"I'm worried that young filmmakers would see the best picture film and think 'Oh, so this is what we should make'. It was the reason why the local film industry collapsed in the first place."

Riri has more confidence in the durability of the local industry, pointing out that it survived despite no government support during the dark decade of the 1990s.

"The most important thing is that the festival is not just a mere awards-giving ceremony, because media competition is fierce today."

With all its present shortcomings but its rich history behind it, let's hope that the upcoming FFI is not the last for another 12 years.