JP/18/FILM

JP/18/FILM

'Almayer's Folly' to shoot in Kalimantan

Rita A.Widiadana
Kuta

Following their triumphs at recent Cannes Film Festivals in
France, Asian filmmakers are beginning to establish a strong
foothold in the international film world.

And the successes of their counterparts from Japan, China,
Hong Kong, Iran and India have encouraged Southeast Asian
filmmakers to pursue their craft on an international stage.

In this spirit, noted Malaysian director U-Wei bin Haji Saari,
in collaboration with 2004 Golden Globe award winner Le Brocquy-
Fraser Production (Osama), is embarking on a major feature film
project, Almayer's Folly, which will bring together talent from
Hollywood, Malaysia and Indonesia. Folly is an adaptation of
Joseph Conrad's debut novel of the same title.

The film will star award-winning U.S. actor Harvey Keitel (The
Red Dragon, Pulp Fiction and The Piano), talented Indonesian
actors Christine Hakim and El Manik, and Malaysian actors Eman
Manan and Khalled Saleh.

The US$5 million film will also involve world-class film
talent, including director of photography Alain Choquart from
France and British production designer Desmond Crowe (Band of
Brothers)

Almayer's Folly explores themes similar to those found in
Heart of Darkness, Conrad's later masterpiece. Heart of Darkness
was adapted into the Oscar-winning Vietnam war epic Apocalypse
Now, starring the late Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen.

Folly is set in the Malay world of the 1830s in Borneo (now
Kalimantan) and is a tale of personal tragedy set against a
backdrop of stale and defective colonialism.

The adapted film is drawn from the U-Wei's own experiences in
his own land, entwined with the experience of colonialism.

U-Wei is Malaysia's leading film director and has taken up the
challenge of adapting the novel's period setting and working with
a multiethnic cast that explore the desires, misconceptions and
intrigues that were so much a part of the cultural melting pot of
colonialism.

Le Brocquy-Fraser Production secured the rights from Oxford
publishing to adapt Conrad's novel, and developed the script with
U-Wei .

"I am not focusing on colonialism but on the struggle of
values, human relationships, cultural and social conflicts from
an Eastern point of view," U-Wei told The Jakarta Post in Kuta on
Tuesday.

Movie-goers are used to seeing stories through the eyes of
Western directors, he said. "That is good, but this time I want
to show it from a different perspective, from the state of mind
of Eastern people. How they see and look at the issues."

The story revolves around the life of Malay society in Borneo
in the late 19th century; a mix of indigenous Malays, tribal
Dayaks, Europeans, Arabs, Indians and Chinese living and working
together.

Although the book starts out as though it is from the
perspective of a European protagonist, the narrative is dynamic.

The plot centers on the life of Dutch businessman Almayer (to
be played by Harvey Keitel), who marries Mem (Christine Hakim), a
local woman. They have a daughter Nina, who is sent to Singapore
to receive a Western education.

When she returns as a beautiful woman 10 years later, she
finds the family home and business severely neglected, as Almayer
has been consumed by his dream of finding gold in the mountains,
and her parents are no longer communicating.

Problems begin to surface when Nina falls for a handsome Malay
prince and freedom fighter, Dain Maroola. Their secret love
affair drive Almayer mad; he cannot tolerate his daughter having
an affair with a Malay man, whom he regards as inferior to
Westerners.

One day, Almayer finds that his daughter has eloped with
Dain. Almayer chases after the couple, losing everything in the
pursuit. He returns to his house and burns it down, and is left
with nothing but his shattered dreams. The remains of the house
become known locally as Almayer's Folly.

At the beginning of the story Almayer appears to be at the
center of society. By the end, he is very much at the peripheral
and alienated. The real cultural, political and economic life of
the community is located elsewhere and involves other people
besides himself.

"The choice of an authentic setting (Kalimantan) is important
to make the film real and alive. With the right setting and an
excellent cast, I have already finished 30 percent of the total
work," commented U-Wei, a Pahang native who first gained
international notice in 1995 with Un Certain Regard award at
Cannes.

Thanks to the Bali Film Commission, the Indonesian Ministry of
Culture and Tourism, Garuda Indonesia and Kartika Discovery
Hotel, U-Wei chose Kalimantan as the main shooting locations.

"I was offered Fiji but I preferred Kalimantan as it is the
real setting of the story. It would be superficial if the film
was set in another place," he said.

Producer Julia Fraser expects the film to gain critical
acclaim, if not commercial success. "International film society
is looking for works by fresh talents from around the world.
Everybody in the group is so excited about this project."

Since the key role of Almayer's 20-year-old daughter has still
not been cast, the producer and director are now looking to hold
casting calls in Bali and Jakarta within this month.

"I am sure Indonesia has a lot of talent. The girl must be
creative, talented and natural, and should be under 20," the
director said.

If an Indonesian actress can land the role of Nina, the path
to international success will open in front of her, said Deborah
Gabinetti of the Bali Film Commission.