Pigai: Film Screening Bans Must Go Through Court Decisions

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai has emphasised that banning the screening or watch-along (nobar) of films cannot be carried out unilaterally without a legal basis and a court decision. According to Pigai in Jakarta on Monday, restrictions on film works can only be imposed through legal mechanisms as regulated by legislation. Therefore, parties without legal authority are not permitted to ban film screenings in public spaces. “Films can only be banned according to a court decision, according to the law,” said Pigai. This statement was made amid the polemic over the banning of watch-along events for the documentary film “Pesta Babi” in several regions and university environments across the country. In several cases, film screening activities were reportedly cancelled following pressure or requests for cessation from certain groups. He emphasised that banning actions cannot be carried out by groups or individuals without authority based on the law. “If people who are not given authority as mandated by the law, then they must not take such actions,” he said. Pigai stated that a ban on a film must have a clear legal basis, either in the form of statutory provisions or a court decision with legal force. “The ban can only be through a court decision. Is there a court decision? No. So it cannot (be like that),” he said. According to him, film works are part of the community’s creative expression that must be respected as part of freedom of expression in a democratic country. “Therefore, watch-along events like this, as the will, intention, and creation of the work of the Indonesian people, must be respected and presented to the public,” said Pigai. He assessed that parties who feel aggrieved or disagree with a film’s content should pursue mechanisms for clarification or present opposing views, rather than imposing bans. “Even if there is something in the film that makes someone feel accused, then clarify, because there are means to do clarification, or they can make a new film,” he said.