Major changes needed to boost local film industry
By Tertiani Simanjuntak
JAKARTA (JP): Picture this. A man who had left his family for decades decided to come home for the sake of a cup of coffee. His wife could take it, but the daughter chose to express her feelings by spitting her disappointment out into the coffee.
And she literally spat.
Such emotional conflicts are finely packed into the 21-minute Untuk Secangkir Kopi (For A Cup of Coffee), produced, directed and written by 24-year-old Lintang Pramudya Wardani over a period of only two months as the final task in her course of studies.
It resulted in her being named this year's best graduate of the film and television department of the Jakarta Institute of the Arts (IKJ).
"Now I work with production house Prima Entertainment as a script writer. I want to be a film director but I'm not ready. Maybe after another two years I'll be making my own films," Lintang told The Jakarta Post after graduating on Saturday.
Lintang and other 101 graduates, along with more than 400 of the department's alumni, believe in a better future for the country's film industry, which has almost collapsed over the last thirty years.
To attain such a dream, the department's dean, Hadi Artomo, underlined the need to change the industry's frame of thinking, away from the conventionally commercial one to the "three- cornered framework."
"It means that the producer, the director and the script writer put their heads together to create a work of art which is based on a matured idea and not on how much money they can make," he told the Post.
He took the view that many young film makers have already been putting the formula into effect by starting to deal with down-to- earth issues, and not only producing romance and action flicks bearing the U.S. film industry and Hollywood imprint.
Hadi named Petualangan Sherina (Sherina's Adventure), which was a big hit here, as one example of how a film could become a success. Starring child singer Sherina Munaf, it brought together producer Mira Lesmana, director Riri Riza and script writer Rayya Makarim to make a good movie for children.
"But Joshua O Joshua and Bunga which were made following the success of Sherina, although they were both targeting the same market and both starred children's idols, failed to echo this success as they focused solely on the commercial aspects.
Joshua is named after the country's top child singer who starred in the movie, while Bunga starred Sonia.
Defining film as a country's cultural work, Hadi asserted that the industry should not be allowed to die. He said that at least 25 titles should be produced each year if the country did not want to be labeled "uncultured" by others.
He argued that by making 25 films per year, the industry would be able to practice producing good movies, how to use the latest technology and how to voice out the emotion of the people through films.
India produced an average of 850 films a year, the Philippines 75, Iran between 75 and 100, while Indonesia produced "next to nothing", he said.
However, he added, there was another crucial problem: viewer appreciation.
"Our society is still at the level of only watching movies and is unable as yet to understand the new insights introduced in films. Film is always used as a scapegoat in the country, while in reality it's the viewers who lack the ability to themselves censor what they watched.
"I would suggest the introduction of an audio-visual curriculum for junior high school and high school students. We have to allow the people to educate themselves by watching and listening from an early age," Hadi said.