JIFFest showcases Yamagata's films

John Badalu, Contributor, Jakarta

What makes documentary films stronger than features? First of all, they tell true stories. Stories about lives, the environment, and the honesty of events. Secondly, they use real people in the society as actors. Furthermore, they usually contain deep emotions that can't be manipulated by camera tricks and you always feel related to the story-telling in some way.

Of all the films at the Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFest) this year, there is a tiny section of documentary films taken from Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YDIFF). It's about time that documentary films had a place in a big film festival like this. Out of 128 films that are going to be screened at JIFFest, over 40 films are documentary.

This showcase of YDIFF films at JIFFest is supported by the Japan Foundation. YDIFF started off in 1989 as a completely independent film festival in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Yamagata city. YDIFF has been held every two years since then. Nowadays, YDIFF is considered one of the most important film festivals for documentary films with over a hundred films being screened each time from all over the world. Taking the theme of multicultural issues linked to the same theme that JIFFest is highlighting this year, there are three films from YDIFF to watch. Below is the synopsis of the three films.

* Annyong Kimchi (Japan)

Being a Korean in Japan can be tough. Life is never easy for them. They never feel that they belong there, not to mention how the Japanese tend to look down on them. There is a lot of social pressure in their personal lives. It's a bit similar to Chinese people living in Indonesia.

Director Matsue Tetsuaki, a second generation Korean living in Japan decided to trace her family history in this very personal moving film. She's an independent woman who can no longer speak Korean language and grew up completely in Japanese culture. Her parents always put on a mask when they go out of the house. They pretend to be Japanese. Tetsuaki always feels that she's a Japanese more than a Korean, but her little brother takes a further step into the family history. He grew up with more and more sensitivity to being of Korean descent.

The little brother is the main character in the film. He tells his close friends (they are all Japanese) that he is a Korean and suddenly he is looked at in a different way by his friends. Having a difficult time, he withdraws and starts to explore his roots. He wants to know about his grandfather's life. This investigation takes him all the way back to Korea.

Although feeling more like a Korean, he doesn't really like to eat Kimchi. Kimchi is an appetizer that Koreans eat with every single meal. It's made of Chinese cabbage, dipped in a vinegar and chili sauce. In a way, although the brother feels more Korean than Japanese, he can't be a true Korean because he doesn't eat Kimchi.

Technically, the film is average but the story makes it extraordinary. The deep emotion is captured well. Indeed, it's worth seeing.

Annyong Kimchi will be screened at the Goethe Institute at 3 p.m. on Oct. 28.

* The Weald (Japan)

Director Kawase Naomi is probably one of the most celebrated filmmakers in Japan today. Winning the prestigious Camera d'Or at Cannes Film Festival in 1997 for her first feature Suzaku, she packed her bags and headed to an isolated village in the mountains of Yoshino to shoot this film.

The village is occupied by mostly old people. Naomi took an approach as an outsider without analyzing the actors' lives. The Weald portrays the villagers as they are. She went straight into their hearts, listening to their stories patiently without interfering. Stories of loneliness, bitterness, and the struggle to earn a living are captured emotionally in this film.

The villagers lead a routine life and try to regain the energy that they had in the past. Shattered dreams make them realize that they can only depend on each other and they cannot put too much hope in the new people who come to live there. People come and go, the villagers keep their lives and continue living as they have been doing for many years.

It drags a bit and is slow, but this film make us realize that there are people out there who have simple lives, undisturbed by modern civilization.

The Weald will be screened at Goethe Institute at 3 p.m. on Oct. 29.

* Father, Son, and The Holy War (India)

A traveler has said, "If you can survive India, then you can travel anywhere in the world easily". Indeed, India is one big country with a rich cultural diversity. Director Anand Patwardhan takes us to the heart of many big social-political issues. From Salman Rushdie to Machismo, from women's attitudes to India's minorities.

This two-hour documentary is never boring. Somewhat controversial and disturbing, this film will change the "Indian exoticism through the eyes of westerners" point of view. With almost three decades of making political documentaries under his belt, director Patwardhan wants to show how well he understands his own country's myriad problems. Still, because there are too many things he wants to cover, I feel somehow each issue wasn't really too in-depth. He should have made a separate film for each issue. Father, Son and The Holy War is a good introduction to understand of how complex Indian people can be.

Father, Son and The Holy War will be screened at the Goethe- Institute at 5 p.m. on Oct. 28.