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.