Regional film festival fails to attract viewers
By L.N. Idayanie
YOGYAKARTA (JP): In keeping with the sluggish state of the national film industry and gloomy predictions for production in Southeast Asia, the recent ASEAN Film Week passed with little fanfare.
The event, held here April 6-9, garnered scant attention from the public and media even though it was touted as a forum for the six member countries of the regional grouping to screen their best works.
The lure of free tickets was not enough to fill the theater and most of the viewers were festival delegates. The local press devoted space to the opening and then shied away from the rest of the festival.
Acclaimed as the best film of the festival was the Thai drama Khu Gum (Sunset at Chaopraya), the work of director Euthana Mukdasant.
"This film holds very strong cultural elements," said Budiati Abiyoga, producer of Bulan Tertusuk Ilalang. "World War II forms the background of the story of a Japanese soldier falling in love with a Thai girl. The story does not, however, slide into a cheap and sordid tale of love."
She praised the film's superb editing, technological values and its exploration of the universal theme of a complex love triangle.
Khu-Gum details the relationship between Kobori, the Japanese officer, and Angsumalin in the lead-up to the occupation of the country. The girl, played by Appasiri Nitiphon, is involved with compatriot Vanus (Thiriphat Sajakul) at the outset of the film.
Vanus departs for England to join the Thai Free Forces, promising to return and marry Angsulin one day. As the war intensifies, the Japanese army occupies Thailand under the leadership of Kobori. His headquarters lie close to the home of Angsumalin, leading to an accidental meeting between the pair. Their relationship develops and the two eventually decide to marry in a union based on political considerations.
Angsumalin is haunted by her promise to Vanus, frustrating the Japanese with her indifference to his feelings. The film ends with Kobori's death at the hands of an Allied attack.
The 135-minute movie is packed with traditional elements, including Japanese-Thai music, Shemiseng or Kim, performed by Angsumalin. It comes as no surprise that Khu-Gum, screened in Thai cinemas in 1995, was a box office success and ranked among the big five money earners in the Thai film industry. It received five Thai film awards for best picture, best director, best leading actor, best title song and best costume design.
Although she criticized the poor quality of the copy screened at the festival, Budiati said the overall content of the film was worthy of praise as "this type of film can be enjoyed by the whole world since it stands on a clear basis."
She also cited the sophisticated stereo sound system of the film, which has yet to be used in Indonesian films. "This is what makes it an expensive film," she added.
Mulanay, an engaging entry from the Philippines, also drew praise for its vivid depiction of a young female physician's life in a remote area. Although its theme was not unusual, the film focused on strength of character in overcoming hardship and presented a realistic portrait of conditions of the rural poor.
Unfortunately, the pace of the film was ponderous and deliberate.
Indonesia presented Bulan Tertusuk Ilalang (And the Moon Dances), Kereta Terakhir (The Last Train), Serangan Fajar (Dawn Attack), and Cemeng 2005. Of these, only Cemeng 2000 has received a general cinema distribution.
Bulan Tertusuk Ilalang is the work of young film director Garin Nugroho. The film is short on dialogue but loaded with symbolism, allowing viewers to form their individual interpretations. The work was awarded the Golden Apsara Award at the Asian Film Festival in Cambodia last month.
A pall hung over the film festival as delegates forecast grim times ahead for the Southeast Asian film industry.
Thailand currently produces only 45 to 50 film titles per year compared to the 200 to 300 titles annually a mere five years ago. Euthana Mukdasanit, a producer from the Grammy film group which made Khu-Gum, said the downward spiral was a result of the expansion of American films in Thailand and the increase in production of television movies.
"We have to strive just to maintain an annual production of 50 titles," Euthana said.
The movie industry in Indonesia is faring worse than Thailand. Indonesia produces about 30 films, many of them cheap vehicles laden with sex and violence, Budiati said.
The popularity of sinetron television series makes it unlikely that the situation will change soon. Indonesians currently prefer to watch television in the comfort of their own homes than venture out to crowded movie theaters, Budiati added.