Indonesian 'sinetron' festival celebrates mediocrity
By T. Sima Gunawan
JAKARTA (JP): Local television dramas and comedies, as well as mini-series, are getting more and more popular. They are shown in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening.
Some are good, others garbage.
According to sinetron critic R.M. Soenarto, the stories of most drama series -- locally known as sinetron -- are illogical and do not make sense. The producers focus on commercial aspects, neglecting the artistic and creative.
Soenarto made these statements a few days before tonight's broadcast of the Indonesian Sinetron Festival '96, of which he is committee chairman.
The committee had to evaluate 784 episodes from a total of 126 TV programs, broken down into the categories of drama, comedy, drama series, comedy series and non-fiction (which includes documentary, semi-documentary, educational, informative, cultural and tourism). The sinetron were produced by 53 production houses and nine government institutions, which produced the non-fiction programs.
Imam Tantowi's comedy Suami-Suami Takut Istri (Husbands who fear their wives) is on the top of the committee's list with 10 nominations. TV drama Norma, directed by Jonggi Sihombing, has received nine nominations, and the popular drama series Si Doel Anak Sekolahan III (Doel, the Graduate III) was nominated in seven categories.
Other sinetron nominees are Begaya FM (FM Style), Liontin (Medal), Angkot Haji Imron (Haj Imron's Minivan), Vonis Kepagian (Premature Verdict), Anakku Terlahir Kembali (My Baby is Reborn) and Gandrung (Desperate Love).
Each TV station will broadcast the award ceremony tonight at 7:30 p.m.
The festival was first organized in 1995 in an effort to improve the quality of sinetron. About 500 sinetron were selected for the festival, and the number increased to 600 last year.
The sinetron business has flourished with the growth of private TV stations. Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia (RCTI) began operating in 1989, followed by Surya Citra Televisi (SCTV) in 1991, Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia (TPI), Andalas Televisi (ANteve) and Indo Visual Mandiri (Indosiar) in 1994.
The first sinetron was produced by state-owned TVRI in the early l970s. Back then, the works of Teguh Karya's Teater Populer, Putu Wijaya's Teater Mandiri as well as the Sanggar Prativi theater company were produced on stage in TV studios.
In the 1980s, a number of directors experimented with outdoor- settings. Today, sinetron are produced by private stations and production houses. Some producers even make sinetron overseas.
Sinetron production increased from fewer than 100 episodes in the l980s to nearly 1,000 in l994.
Ironically, even with more resources dedicated to this genre, the quality of most sinetron remains appallingly low. Comedies exploit stupidity and dramas are stretched out simply to cover time slots.
The sinetron industry, explained Soenarto, lacks a strong work ethic.
Tonight's festival is one step in the improvement plan, but change must ultimately come from within the industry, and from the viewers themselves. (sim)