Indonesian documentary films: A sinking Noah's ark

By Antariksawan Jusuf

JAKARTA (JP): When film producer Shanty Harmayn asked for a definition of a documentary, her students at the Jakarta Art Institute (IKJ) answered in various ways: films with no story lines, flora and fauna and even boring films.

Documentaries have often been misunderstood in Indonesia. Among film producers, documentaries also mean government propaganda films.

"The driving power of documentaries is the story," Shanty said. She was speaking during a five-day workshop on the marketing management of documentary film production which ended on Dec. 5. The workshop was expected to be the last of its kind held by the directorate of film and video recording of the now- defunct information ministry.

Shanty, who holds a master's degree in documentary film and video production from Stanford, California, is currently working on a three-episode production entitled Libraries on Fire which likens the death of an old leader of a tribal society to the burning of books.

She was also the organizer of the recent Jakarta International Film Festival which screened several feature-length documentaries such as The Great Post Way and My America (or Honk if You Love Buddha).

When talking about mainstream documentaries in Indonesia, the picture is bleak. The number of Indonesian documentary film makers remains insignificant compared to the 375 listed production firms. Documentary production refers to regular names: Des Alwi, Garin Nugroho, Dhea Sudarman, Mira Lesmana and friends.

An official at the information ministry, in charge of issuing licenses for production, said there was an average of about 150 annual productions in Indonesia. "Only one or two are produced by Indonesian firms," the official said.

"It is just like our fish being poached by foreign fishing fleets," a participant of the workshop said.

The Indonesian film producing firms act as a local partner, arranging the "dirty work" for foreign firms. The Indonesian firms seek permits from the information ministry, the forestry ministry and the Military Intelligent Body (BIA), as well as renting equipment and organizing transportation.

The director of PT Gemini Satria Film, Dirgonomastu, who has been involved in documentary film making for more than 20 years, has organized such productions with several foreign firms, mainly the BBC's Natural Unit. "On average 20 productions a month," Dirgono said, but sadly he does not have the license rights to such films.

The situation, these days, has worsened. Crippled by the economic crisis, Indonesian film producers are unable to cope with the increasing costs of film making. Normally, documentary films are shot in 16 mm or 35 mm film which is now unaffordable. A can of 16 mm film for a ten minute shot now costs Rp 900,000 (US$120).

In many ways, Indonesian television stations are to be blamed for not having an appetite for local documentaries. Not many documentaries are aired on television, despite the fact that thousands of stories are waiting to be written and screened in this vast and diverse country. There are enough stories about Indonesia's cultures, people, places, religious ceremonies and flora and fauna to fill Noah's ark many times over.

However, stations argue that Indonesian documentary films do not attract viewers. As most stations are commercial (state-owned TVRI is soon set to go that way too), they broadcast programs which have selling points. The big "Rs" of small screen economies -- that of rating and revenue -- is a decisive factor in stations acquiring programs.

Anak Seribu Pulau (ASP, Children of the Archipelago) is a good example of cooperation between documentary producers and commercial networks. The 13-episode, half hour series, ASP was successfully broadcast by five commercial networks. Produced by Miles production and directed, among others, by Garin Nugroho and Nan Achnas, the series is about the lives of Indonesian children across the archipelago.

Other documentaries, such as the traveling documentary Jalan- Jalan of SCTV, Horison of Indosiar, are mostly produced by in- house production teams. TPI and ANteve screen several wildlife documentaries, but all of them are imported.

The other problem is that Indonesian producers mostly rely on their own distribution channels. It would be much helpful if they concentrated on the production. The marketing is conducted by other firms which have extensive networks with television stations which air documentaries.

Besides local TV networks, Indonesian producers are expected to create their own unexplored markets such as selling films to movie theaters, cable TV, VCDs, or home video. Or seeking what Shanty called "creative financing" by finding related institutions to provide financial support to produce the films.

She cited an example: the "blockbuster" documentary film My America (or Honk if You Love Buddha) had more than ten foundations involved in the financing. The film, with its unique comedy approach, was a big success both in the United States and during its screening at the Jakarta International Film Festival.

The overseas markets of the television industry may be the best alternative. In a developed country like Japan, a 30-minute documentary can sell for between US$3,000-$7,000. In other countries, such as India, documentaries sell for higher prices than children's programs, music and entertainment and sports programs. The prices (see table below) fluctuate and are dependent on a number of factors including age, quality and local content.

At the end of the workshop, the participants -- from production houses, television stations, State Film Production (PPFN) and the Communication Technology Center (Pustekom Diknas) -- agreed to set up a society for documentary films. The group is expected to help nurture the growth of Indonesian documentary film productions. Although skeptics, such as the speaker of the workshop and film director Nan T. Achnas, believe such forums will only develop a web of red tape for producers.