RI film not off the critical list

RI film not off the critical list

Joko Anwar, Contributor, Jakarta

While fans of Indonesian music can take their pick from the wide
selection of albums in record stores, those in search of local
flavor in the movie section are not so lucky.

Their choice is limited to a tiny shelf displaying a few local
films.

After the lean years of the 1990s, some have called the recent
increase in film production -- sparked by the huge success of
children's musical Petualangan Sherina (Sherina's Adventure) in
2000 -- a "revival" in the industry's fortunes.

That consists of four films released in 2001, eight in 2002
and 13 in 2003 -- still a paltry number.

There have been a few well made and commercially successful
films, such as teen romance Ada Apa dengan Cinta? (What's Up with
Cinta?) in 2001, but the rest have not measured up.

They are either polished but commercially doomed movies or
commercially successful but poorly made: Filmmakers still do not
make movies with their audience in mind.

Riri Riza's Eliana, Eliana garnered acclaim from critics here
and abroad, but it was simply too stylish for the tastes of local
audiences.

Horror flicks, no matter how badly conceived they are, enjoy a
long, profitable stay at the local cinemas.

The commercial triumph of Kafir (Infidel) last year was
surprising, considering its poor quality and low entertainment
value. Its success encouraged movie makers to rush out poorly
made vehicles to jump on the bandwagon.

Thankfully, moviegoers are becoming more sophisticated and
many of the films were box-office duds.

It's obvious -- from the poor storytelling concept, lack of
consideration of art design and costumes as well as technical
deficiencies -- that many of the so-called "filmmakers" are still
learning on the job.

"We've got to have more film schools. This country is too big
to have only one film school, for heaven's sake," film director
Nia Dinata told The Jakarta Post, referring to the only film
school here, the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ).

Competent filmmakers agree that a film school is essential to
provide knowledge to budding directors on how to do things right.

"Filmmaking is unique among other art forms. You've got to
know the basics," Riri said. "If you don't learn the basics,
you'll have to do many times until you get it right."

He acknowledged that there were local moviemakers who did not
have a film school background but gained skills through
experience.

"Still, you've got to know the rules. You can break the rules
and make a breakthrough. But to do so, you've got to know the
rules," Nia said.

The lack of basic knowledge of filmmaking is clear in the
entries on the independent film circuit. The Guy Ritchie or
Robert Rodriguez wannabes think they can make a good movie by
stylizing it, without a thought to coherent storytelling.

"We still treat films purely as art. That's not enough. We
also have to treat it as science so we have to possess the basic
theory to communicate with our audience," cinematographer German
G. Mintapradja said.

The lack of knowledge of filmmakers is not the only problem,
for there is no basic, integrated film system.

In countries with more established film industries, such as
Australia, the production line is specialized so each part of the
chain provides an optimal contribution.

Film production companies take care of their side of business,
and leave distribution and promotion to other professionals.

It's not the case here -- there is no distribution firm.

"Here, after we finish our films, we still have to deal with
promoting and distributing the films ourselves instead of
spending energy to prepare our next film," Riri, who is also a
film producer, said.

Garin pointed out that the industry suffers from a half-baked
syndrome common in this country: The declared big plans are not
backed by a willingness to do the necessary hard work.

"We dream about having a film industry but we don't put in
enough effort to do what is required to build one. This mentality
is so us (as a people). We also show this in other fields."

It's not all bleak, however. The energy and enthusiasm of the
young filmmakers are commendable, but it's now up to them to make
the effort to perfect their craft and keep the audience coming
back for more.