Indonesian short films challenge the industry

Indonesian short films challenge the industry

By Gotot Prakosa

JAKARTA (JP): For those of you who missed the event, the
Indonesian Independent Film-Video Festival took place late last
month. The program generated wide interest among young people who
admire independent films.

Stimulated by many different ideas, the youth made the films
on their own initiative. They also bore all costs involved (most
of them were made at very low cost). Although, there was no limit
to the duration of the films, most of them were shorts. There was
no evidence of censorship.

Organizers were surprised by the huge turnout. Many young
people came from Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta for the showing
and participated spiritedly in the discussions. Some of the short
films will be shown again on Nov. 27 in the Jakarta International
Film Festival starting.

These activities form a strong current in the alternative film
movement and need to be recorded in the history of short films in
Indonesia.

History continues to grow in a dynamic way because of the
emergence of people with ideas, visions, new methods and works
which are in opposition to established conditions.

The history of Indonesian short films is filled with fragments
of events. The events mark an effort and at the same time offer
resistance to the situation of Indonesian film development as a
whole. It is unfortunate that research into Indonesian film
history has so far only covered mainstream films shown in cinemas
as part of the pop culture industry. Indonesian short films are
considered unworthy of serious study because they are perceived
as unattached to the industry.

Therefore the Indonesian short film history moves on its own
outside the existing film industry. In reality, Indonesian short
films now receive attention and praise from abroad. Many
international fora such as film festivals accept short films for
showings and discussions. Thus, the Indonesian short film has
become a public relation vehicle for the world of Indonesian
films in lieu of Indonesian mainstream films which have little
impact on international fora. Times have changed indeed.

Short or independent films kicked off in the early 1970s with
the establishment of the Jakarta Arts Center at Taman Ismail
Marzuki which organized film education for the first time in
Indonesia. At that time the 8mm film started to gain popularity
in the community. This pushed the arts center to organize a mini
film competition that accommodated short films made by amateurs,
artists outside the film world and students, including
cinematography students from the Jakarta Arts Education Institute
(LPKJ), the forerunner of the Jakarta Institute of the Arts or
IKJ.

The competition and the high spirits with which the arts
center organized the week of short and alternative films led to
the formation of a group calling themselves Sinema Delapan
(Cinema Eight). This group enthusiastically used the 8mm media
format and they confidently aimed to challenge filmmaking methods
within the Indonesian film industry, which was experiencing an
exceptional boom averaging 125 new films a year.

It was regrettable that on the basis of enthusiasm only, the
movement did not last long. Except for a handful of institute
film students, few people were involved in the movement. The
movement lasted less than one year but its members managed to
produce a number of short films.

In the early 1980s the "Short Film Forum" was set up. The idea
was prompted by different sources: from outside the film world,
people from the film industry, students with filmmaking
experience from the University of Indonesia, the Teachers'
College and the Jakarta Arts Institute. The forum managed to
present problems on a national scale and frequently showed films
to appreciative audiences in faraway places like Medan, Bali and
Lombok. It was a solid movement and was able to make an inventory
of short film works. The forum also worked on short films as
alternative and independent films. It was active from the early
1980s to the mid 1980s. Its mission was basically an arts
movement through films and explorations abroad. It was at this
time that Indonesian short films started joining festivals
abroad.

In the mid 1990s a movement called "Guerrilla Cinema" emerged.
The term was launched by Seno Gumira Ajidharma, a literary man
and a film observer who was acting in response to the decline in
national film production. It was Seno's extreme view that
alternative films should replace national films. At this time
although Indonesian film output was low, there were some films
that were categorized as alternative films, or art films, that
were taken into account at international fora. Therefore, the
spirit of the "Guerrilla Cinema" should be encouraged.

That period saw the emergence of young people involved in the
television industry. They grew up on television. They made video
clips, advertisements and documentary films for the large screen.
They started with idealism and extraordinary enthusiasm. They
were penniless but built their own network. However, they managed
to produce complete films. The film Kuldesak offered a discourse
of its own. The film was popular among young audiences and was
invited to participate in international film festivals.

The spirit of Kuldesak sparked the idea to organize an
International Film Festival in Indonesia and led to solidarity
among young film directors to make "Independent Cinema". This
group of young directors is planning to make long films with part
of them shot with video technology if they can be finished at the
editing stage. The films will then be transferred to 35mm film
for the cinemas. This move is directed toward the new millennium.
It is a very concrete endeavor to realize films with familiar
technology.

The cycle of film movements is apparently similar to the
transition of decades. We can see that sometimes the movement is
short-lived. However, its ideas, visions, methods of technical
creation influences subsequent films, and reaches into the system
of the industry. History contains fragments of movements that die
and are reborn in next generations. But the artifacts left take
the form of short films; independent films continue to be seen
for enjoyment, and studied as achievements of each era.