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.