Punjabi's Putra Jethmal to offer grants to RI filmmakers
Punjabi's Putra Jethmal to offer grants to RI filmmakers
Lisabona Rahman, Contributor, Jakarta
Raam Punjabi is a controversial persona in the Indonesian television and film industry.
With his company Multivision Production he is one of the biggest players in the industry. He is accused of producing decadent soap operas, yet his role in the development of Indonesian film and television has proven to be indispensable.
Punjabi has seen the ups and downs of the Indonesian film scene since the late 1960s and has been invited to meet with other filmmakers in discussions during festivals and was present at a legislative hearing on the state of the Indonesian film industry.
Mr. Punjabi took another initiative in November 2005. He started the Putra Jethmal Foundation, an organization to support efforts to upgrade Indonesian filmmakers' skills and experience.
The foundation is named after his late father, whom he owes the opportunity of realizing his dream of becoming a film producer despite the family's financial limitations.
Putra Jethmal offers grant programs and a scholarship for young directors, writers, producers and cinematographers to gain the relevant education for their field of interest both in Indonesia and abroad.
The foundation also offers support for film events, their first project being a financial contribution to the 2005 Jakarta International Film Festival for a series of workshops and seminars.
"I would really like to contribute to the development of the film industry by supporting the future professionals," said Punjabi, "I realize we don't have enough skilled people, although there are many talented people in the industry. Sometimes it's the opportunities that they don't have."
Film professionals with adequate skills are scarce in the Indonesian film scene. Directors and producers have to literally compete with each other to find crew to work on each production.
They have to share the film crew who at the same time is also needed to make sinetron (soap operas), music video or TV ads. Scarcity in numbers is one thing, and quality is another.
There is only one film school in Jakarta currently producing most of the needed skilled graduates, and it is hardly enough to meet the demands of the industry.
"I can say that we already have some adequately skilled cinematographers and art directors now in Indonesia, but there are only a few of them. We should have more new talent," said Nia Dinata, director and producer of several feature films including Berbagi Suami which is due to be released in March 2006.
Fostering filmmaking skills
The Putra Jethmal Foundation is the first organization founded solely to support the development of Indonesian filmmakers.
"It is a good concept and as a filmmaker I am very flattered that somebody considers films that significant and important," said Riri Riza who earlier this year launched the biopic Gie. "The government is not paying serious attention to this problem and this seems like a very sincere effort coming from the private sector."
The foundation aims to allocate about Rp 2.5 billion annually for grants and financial support. "I know that this is hardly sufficient for an initiative of this kind. But I hope more people or groups will make contributions to the foundation in the years to come," said Punjabi.
The amount can also be granted to filmmakers who have an interest in attending seminars or workshops on film events in Indonesia and abroad. Although the initiators are still in the process of deciding the selection mechanism as well as recruiting a board of decision makers, they have already announced that applications will open twice a year in early March and September, starting in 2006 where filmmakers can submit their proposals.
The organizational mechanism of Putra Jethmal Foundation has been set up by Orlow Seunke, who just announced his withdrawal from his current position as director of the Jakarta International Film Festival starting next year.
"I tried to compare how it works in several foundations in the Netherlands, Denmark and Singapore. There are many options for focus like production, education, distribution. But we decided to focus on education first," he said.
Seunke is setting up a committee of three who will review incoming applications and decide on the grantees within a week. "It's always good to have a small committee that consists of people of different backgrounds," he said.
The trickiest part is of course to find a balance between talented people and experience, as there are probably many aspiring filmmakers who will be interested in the scheme, but might not have had the chance to work in any productions.
"I am looking forward to seeing new faces emerging from this foundation's grants. I hope that the foundation will be accessible to future Indonesian filmmakers wherever they are," said Nia diNata.
Hopes are high for this fresh initiative and both Punjabi and Seunke realize that one of the biggest challenge is how to keep it sustainable. "I look forward to getting more support from Indonesian film professionals as well as academics. I am sure this will benefit a lot of people in the local film industry," said Seunke.