Local filmmakers starve audiences of entertaining films

Joko E.H. Anwar, Contributor, Jakarta

There was not enough life during the opening ceremony of the 46th Asian Pacific Film Festival here on Wednesday.

In fact, once a prestigious film event in the region generates a little excitement among the film community and audiences in the capital, there is not even one Indonesian film really worth cheering for.

None of the three Indonesian entries taking part in the event had found a place in local viewers' hearts.

Slamet Rahardjo's Telegram has not been released here yet but the movie has reportedly put many audiences to sleep during its screening in France, the country which co-financed the film. Judging from its high art-theater content, the film is likely to do the same when it hits multiplexes in the country.

Reinkarnasi, an embarrassing rip-off of many films including The Matrix and Jackie Chan's Armor of Gods, should never have been considered to be included in the event.

Nan T. Achnas' Whispering Sands, which is being shown in Jakarta theaters, has already left many people scratching their heads as they leave the theater. The filmmakers may argue that the art-theater film, which is also nominated for Best Picture at the festival, is doing well at the box office. But they should not forget that film audiences here are desperate to see homemade movies in the cinema and are willing to see anything their beloved local filmmakers have to offer.

It is so disappointing that local audiences are being denied the right to see entertaining films made by local filmmakers.

"Indonesian filmmakers (at the moment) tend to be interested only in making art films," Aziz m. Osman, a Malaysian film director whose movie Sri Dewi Malam is featured at the festival, told The Jakarta Post during the ceremony.

He said that in his country, filmmakers felt obliged to make films which entertain people. "Our No. 1 priority is to help the industry survive. This can only happen if we make people spend their money to see our films," Osman said.

We may argue that our music industry is flourishing more than in our neighboring country, but many would be shocked to find out how advanced their film industry is compared to ours.

Osman said there were 12 Malaysian movies slated for release next year.

Anyone who gets ahold of a pirated copy of the Malaysian film Layar Lara, which is in large circulation here, will find the film well-made and entertaining with a good storyline.

Like the rest of the world, commercial films which are likely to be more entertaining than art-theater entries dominate the Malaysian market.

Osman said their government had encouraged filmmakers to make art-theater films this year by financing them.

The Indonesian government, through the National Film Board, has been financing local filmmakers to make art-theater films, such as Garin Nugroho's Bulan Tertusuk Ilalang and Cemeng 2005: The Last Primadona.

However, since their intention is to revive the film industry here by making people come to see Indonesian films at cinemas, the gesture has been a total flop.

Thank God for the highly enjoyable Petualangan Sherina, which was a huge box office success last year and was well-received by critics. The film single-handedly renewed film audiences' faith in Indonesian cinema.

However, incompetent rip-offs and a series of sophomoric efforts by the self-proclaimed hip generation of filmmakers, such as the juvenile Jakarta Project, may kill that faith again.

To make things worse, competent filmmakers in the country, including Garin Nugroho and Nan T. Achnas, do not seem to be interested in making entertaining films.

One of the most respectable film directors in the region, Slamet Rahardjo, shared a similar concern about the lack of entertaining films on the market, but added that he had faith the Indonesian film industry would eventually blossom again.

"We have got to keep encouraging our young filmmakers. We have got to learn how to praise them and not just criticize them," the filmmaker told the Post.

Slamet also believes that competent filmmakers, who are only making what he calls "festival films", will eventually make movies that will genuinely draw audiences to the theaters.

"Let's pray that Nan (T. Achnas) will gain more self- confidence after this and make films which people can connect to more," Slamet said.

Let's hope good filmmakers will come to terms with knowing they have an obligation to revive the film industry and not just to satisfy their own ego before it is too late.