JiFFest Short Film Competition showcases some interesting films
JiFFest Short Film Competition showcases some interesting films
John Badalu, Contributor/Jakarta
The Indonesian film industry is awaking. This can be seen from
the increasing numbers of films being produced every year.
Without any financial support from the government, most of
these young filmmakers have to `slave' themselves by making music
video clips and telenovelas in order to finance their own movie
making.
As a result, most of recent Indonesian films use personal
approaches and viewpoints. But since about two or three years
ago, they have started to in terms of commercial opportunities
that in turn has affected quality.
As technology advances, filmmaking is getting more and more
affordable with the use of digital devices. Opportunity now
knocks for those who previously could only day-dream about making
films. They can now make films on very low budgets shot with
digital video cameras, edit using a computer program and, if they
are lucky and can get some funding, they can then blow it up into
35mm format.
As most of the young generation here are beginners, they all
start by making short films. But where can they screen their
films? Screenings at Cinema 21 are still out of the question.
The answer may be JiFFest. This year, JiFFest, in
collaboration with Minikino, an organization that focuses on
short films, is paying special attention to the short film niche
by conducting a competition.
Hundreds of eager filmmakers are submitting their short films
in order to gain some recognition.
The competition is divided into fiction and documentary and
judged by local and international people such as Riri Riza
(Director of Eliana Eliana and Sherina), Chalida Uabumrungjit
from Thailand (Director of Thai Short Film and Video Festival),
and Joramfrom Holland (Director of In Oranje).
Documentary short films will be judged by Tonny Trimarsanto
(Winner of the Excellence Award at The Earth Vision Tokyo Global
Environmental Film Festival 2004 for his film Dreamland), Amir
Muhammad from Malaysia (Director), and Maria Hartiningsih (Senior
journalist from Kompas newspaper and the winner of Yap Thiam Hien
Award 2003).
Finalists in the fiction short films are quite varied in terms
of the themes of their films. Strong contenders to win the
competition include Stop Human Cloning from director Wahyu
Aditya.
His first animation film Da Pupu Project won an award at
Konfiden Short Film and Video Festival a few years back. Edwin,
director of A Very Slow Breakfast, has produced a new film taken
from the legend Dajang Soembi. This silent film is about a woman
married to a dog who has a killer son who wants to be her lover.
From the documentary side there is Ariani Djalal's Lahir di
Aceh (Born in Aceh), a documentary about children whose parents
were killed in the troubled Aceh region. Anganku (My Dream) from
director Tjandra Wibowo took a simple subject on two sisters
living in a prostitution complex who face harassment in their
neighborhood.
Lexy Rambadeta's Youth on Edge is about a teenager on Sumba
Island searching for his identity.
All the finalists are competing for four different awards
given by JiFFest itself for best fiction, In-Docs Award for best
documentary, Femme Film Award for women's theme film and Panda
Award from the World Wildlife Fund for humanitarian and
environmental films.
Apart from the competition buzz, JiFFest is also providing an
online short film database that can be watched from the computer
in the lobby of Graha Bhakti Budaya daily from 3 p.m., and an
exciting discussion on short film distribution and exhibition in
South-East Asia and its potential in the future film industry.
The discussion will be held at 5 p.m. on Dec. 9 at Galeri
Cipta 3 in the Taman Ismail Marzuki compound, Cikini, Central
Jakarta.