Short films made by locals go International

Short films made by locals go International

By Gotot Prakosa

JAKARTA (JP): Short films are void of any commercial value in
this country, yet, even during the present economic crisis a
young man has completed an admirable 29-minute video film.

Nanang Setiabudi, 27, a graduate of the Jakarta Arts
Institute's (IKJ) film school, has produced Revolusi Harapan
(Revolution of Hope), a film dwelling on society's hopes.

Revolusi tells a story of someone who comes across a book
about the revolution of hope. The regime in power considers the
book very dangerous, and has ordered the book found and its
possessor killed. The film is rife with symbolism, all bearing a
message. When the regime's operatives finally find the person who
has the book, they discover its contents are too difficult to
translate into social reality.

The film won a prize in a festival of short films and videos
held by the Jakarta Arts Council last March. It will be part of
an international festival of short films in Croatia from June 27
to July 4 and in Philadelphia's International Film Festival in
August.

Revolusi Harapan, like other short films made recently by IKJ
students, was made in a video format because film is generally
too expensive for most students due to the crisis. It is a pity
that film students must now be satisfied with making only video
films since film and video are very different in terms of
esthetics and values.

Even though video is more affordable than film, it is not
cheap. As many as eight short films by IKJ film students have
been stored at Interstudio Pratama's studio laboratory because
the processing cost is too much for the students' budgets.

Most films by IKJ students are made to fulfill their academic
requirements in order to receive their diploma after three years
of study. Many films are good enough to enter international film
festivals, including those organized by the Centre International
de Liaison des Ecoles des Cinema et de Television (CILECT). IKJ
is a CILECT member.

IKJ short films have been participating in international
festivals since the 1980s. Some have earned prizes while others
have been screened for information or retrospective purposes.
Many films have also been aired on foreign television.

These short films, in a way, have promoted Indonesia and its
people abroad through their screenings and foreign press reviews.
Unfortunately, such films have made little impact in the domestic
market and the media rarely reports about them. Nevertheless,
these short films continue to be made.

Some makers of short films who have achieved success abroad
have now secured positions in the audio-visual industry in this
country.

Among the short films that have won international awards are
Nan T. Achnas's Hanya Satu Hari (Only One Day), which won a
citation in ASEAN Young Cinema in Tokyo, Japan, in 1991; Yulianto
K.'s Langkah-Langkah Kecil (Small Steps), which won a prize at
Recountres International Hanry Langlois in Paris, France, in 1992
and Sonata Kampung Bata (The Sonnet of a Brick Village) by Riri
Reza, who won a price at Oberhausen Film Festival in Germany in
1995.

In 1997, Ari Bulu's Jakarta 468 won a citation at the
Philadelphia International Film Festival, United States. In the
same year Novi by Asep Kusdinar was nominated at the Festival du
Court Metrage de Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Obviously IKJ short films have made a significant contribution
to the development of the country's film industry.

While Indonesia's film industry is on the brink of total
collapse, short films continue to be made, although the producers
have to settle for technical compromises in using video instead
of film.

IKJ students have been producing short films since the
establishment of the film school in 1971. Over 200 titles are now
in its library. Unfortunately, they have yet to be screened for
the general public here because Indonesia does not have a
professionally managed theater for alternative and artistic
films. In fact, the screening of such films would help establish
a network of moviegoers, filmmakers and distributors outside the
film industry's main stream, providing a means for national works
to receive the appreciation they deserve.

The writer is a filmmaker and a lecturer at the School of Film
and Television, Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ).