Indonesian film industry tunes up for its own swan song

Indonesian film industry tunes up for its own swan song

By Gotot Prakosa

JAKARTA (JP): Makers of 26 movies produced between 1996 and 1997 are waiting to hear the fate of their works currently in limbo in PT Interstudio Laboratorium.

These movies have not been processed because their producers could not afford the finishing costs. Both postproduction and reproduction costs are calculated in dollars, while the projected earnings will be in the depreciated rupiah.

The situation highlights the crumbling state of the Indonesian movie industry and shows that the current film production and distribution methods, through mainstream channels, can no longer be sustained. Therefore, there is a need to seek an alternative means to end the crisis.

Movies that survive the ongoing turmoil are those that are using alternative methods of production and distribution, such as Daun di atas Bantal (Leaf on a Pillow) by Garin Nugroho and Christine Hakim; Telegram by Slamet Rahardjo and Kuldesak, by directors Mira Lesmana, Riri Reza, Nan T. Achnas and Rizal Mantovani. Currently still in postproduction is Sri, directed by Marselli Sumarno.

Daun is now playing at Plaza Senayan and Pondok Indah Mall.

There are two means of producing feature films. First, the movie is produced for commercial purposes and produced by a producer who also acts as the main investor.

Movies here are seen more as a commercial commodity, created to satiate the need of an existing market. The distribution line of these films centers around small independent movie theaters in city suburbs and provincial towns, and open-air screenings.

The 26 films mentioned above fall into this category; in fact the life of independent theaters depends heavily on the production of these films. Popular among lower class audiences -- the main patrons of independent theaters -- the collapse of the national film industry may force these theaters out of business.

Before the economic crisis, independent theaters feasted on a diet of sex, violence and mystery, just like the above-mentioned movies.

These low-budget works were produced for approximately Rp 200 million (when US$1 was Rp 2,500) and could be offered to local distributors for Rp 300 million.

As the dollar exchange rose to above Rp 15,000, film reproduction costs that used to be Rp 3 million to Rp 4 million skyrocketed to Rp 14 million to Rp 16 million. Production costs soared to at least Rp 400 million to Rp 500 million.

Distributors could not increase their purchasing budgets, which have stayed at Rp 300 million. The resulting situation is devastating since, according to Hatoek Subroto, the producer and owner of PT Elang Perkasa Film, distributors nowadays pay with postdated checks payable after six months.

Subroto's company has restricted its activities to renting film shooting equipment.

The second means of production is through alternative methods, usually undertaken by those with perseverance and enthusiasm. From preproduction and the creation of a proposal onward, the producers have to innovate their own system of production.

Christine Hakim Films finished Daun di atas Bantal by searching for unbinding investors. The movie later received assistance from the National Film Management Committee (BP2N) and financial help from the Hubert Bals Foundation in the Netherlands and prerelease earnings from Japan.

In the end, the movie was released on time and participated in the Cannes Film Festival in France. The film received an award at the Kobe Film Festival in Japan and was distributed in Europe and Japan.

PT Ekaparaya Tata Cipta Film, together with France's Artcam International, produced Telegram, directed by Slamet Rahardjo. This movie received aid from BP2N and prerelease earnings from various foundations and French TV stations. Among those, the Huber Bals Foundation assisted with the postproduction costs. The movie will be released next month.

Kuldesak, produced by Miles Production, is an omnibus film, so called because it is directed by two or more directors. Kuldesak is a compilation of four short feature films, produced in a collaborative spirit. Each of the films is directed by a young moviemaker; Mira Lesmana, Riri Reza, Nan T. Achnas and Rizal Mantovani. Each director used their own style to create a movie with a "young generation" theme.

Production costs were met through donations, from movie stocks to equipment. The actors and crews were not paid -- they even chipped in. At the end, the movie obtained funds from the Hubert Bals Foundation and it will hit the screens this October.

PT Sinema Sejati, together with the Film and Television Department of the Jakarta Arts Institute, IKJ, produced Sri, directed by Marselli. This film was also a collaborative effort. Sinema Sejati waived the operational costs as the film crews and actors did not receive payment but instead will receive a percentage of future earnings. The movie is still in the editing process, assisted by postproduction funds from BP2N. According to Marselli, Sri will be released late November.

Two weeks ago, the producers of the 26 commercial films met with Minister of Information Mohammad Yunus to arrange funding from BP2N so their films could be released soon.

If not, they argued, the declining supply of foreign films and audiences' demand for local films would eventually force independent movie theaters to close.

The producers are hoping to receive funding from BP2N since it has been receiving levies from the reproduction certificates of foreign films distributed in Indonesia since 1971.

This fund should be Rp 43 billion, although only Rp 3 billion is thought to be left. The whereabouts of the money is now being questioned by the film community, led by noted actor and director Sophan Sophiaan.

It seems that the movies stuck in Interstudio Lab will be there for the time being. This means, one by one, suburban movie theaters and those in provincial towns face a slow and tortuous death. The buildings may well end up as warehouses or simply remain abandoned.

The writer is a movie director and lecturer at the Film and Television Department of the Jakarta Arts Institute.