Slamet Rahardjo still full of life at 50

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): For many people, turning 50 is like beginning a new chapter in life -- a time to reflect on the past and think of what still lies ahead.

Slamet Rahardjo Djarot, Indonesia's leading actor-director who celebrated his 50th birthday on Jan. 21, did just that. On his birthday, he shunned extravagant parties, instead choosing to spend the day with his family.

Born in Serang, West Java, Slamet began his career in the film industry in 1969, when began to study acting and directing in Teguh Karya's Teater Populer.

Then he jumped onto the big screen, playing his first role in Wajah Seorang Laki-Laki (Face of a Man) in 1971. The first film he directed was the 1979 Rembulan dan Matahari (The Moon and the Sun). The film was submitted to the 1987 Asia America Film Festival in New York.

"The thing that has made me the happiest man in the world was getting a teacher who taught me to love my work," Slamet said in reference to Teguh Karya.

"Teguh is the man that made me who I am, the one who introduced me to film. It would be wrong to forget that," he said.

Asked if he prefers being an actor or a director, Slamet promptly said he loves working behind the scenes, although he readily concedes that becoming actor opened a new world to him, improved his financial standing and provided him with an opportunity to travel. More importantly, he learned about directing.

He twice won Citra awards for best actor in the Indonesian Film Festival, the first coming in 1975 for Ranjang Pengantin (Matrimonial Bed) and the second in 1983 for his role in Dibalik Kelambu (Behind the Mosquito Net).

"My experience as an actor has helped me to understand more about the difficulties actors face," Slamet said.

He has also won two Citra awards for best director -- one in 1985 for Kembang Kertas (Paper Flower) and one in 1987 for Kodrat (Destiny).

Despite his impressive list of achievements, Slamet has remained modest and refuses to watch the screening of his own works.

"I always turn the TV off if any of my films come on. It makes me feel very uncomfortable otherwise. I can't explain why... but I feel that once the creative process has been completed, the film is no longer mine. There's some kind of distance. I'm not being pretentious, that's exactly what I feel. I can cope with discussions or criticism of my films, but I can't watch them," said the man who has acted in 11 films and directed a further 12.

His films have not met with domestic commercial success, but they continue to gain international recognition.

The 21 group of cinemas screened his 1991 film Langitku Rumahku (My Sky My Home) for only one day after it failed to fill the required minimum number of seats in the first screening. No such rule is applied to imported films.

Slamet then sued PT Perfin, the company in charge of managing the circulation of domestic films. He claimed it was failing to support the development of local films, but the courts did not agree with him.

On the foreign front, the same film won several awards, including the UNESCO Prize for best film about children at the Berlin Film Festival, the Jacques Demy Cup at the Nantes Film Festival in France. It also won awards at the Hawaii and Sydney film festivals, and received recognition in Japan and Egypt.

Of the legal challenge, film critic Marselli Sumarno noted it was the first time that a dispute over domestic film circulation had been taken to court.

"Even though he lost, the action managed to raise the problem of monopolistic practices in film distribution," said Marselli.

Flop

Despite his bad luck in the domestic market, Slamet is a great supporter of the Indonesian film industry and was delighted by the success of Garin Nugroho's Daun Di Atas Bantal (Leaf on a Pillow) and Kuldesak (Cul-de-sac), a collaborative work by Mira Lesmana, Nan T. Achnas, Riri Riza and Rizal Mantovani.

"I watch Garin's movies. I think the viewers's long for more quality Indonesian films," said Slamet, who chairs the Film and Television Employees Association and sits on the National Film Management Committee.

He noticed that both Daun Di Atas Bantal and Kuldesak had themes that the audience were familiar with and could relate to strongly.

"Their success shows that given the opportunity, Indonesian films can do it.... It also proves that Indonesian people need locally-made films," Slamet said. "Besides, there are lots of themes that can be raised on the big screen."

"The Indonesian film industry is maturing and people are growing more critical. So just let that develop. Let it grow. No need to interfere," he added.

Slamet took a break from making films for the big screen after Langitku Rumahku and began to devote large amounts of his time to teaching at the Jakarta Arts Institute. He also made a number of television films, including Suro Buldog and Tajuk (Column).

He also directed Fatamorgana (Mirage) -- a film commissioned by the Japan Foundation for inclusion in the Southern Winds, a series of four films co-produced by NHK of Japan which sets out to portray Asia in transition.

Around the same time he made Anak Hilang (Lost Child), one of three films made to promote environmental awareness in the Equatorial Trilogy.

Now Telegram, Slamet's latest film, is in post production. It will then be mixed and printed in Paris before hitting the silver screen.

He has also received a number of offers for his next project, one of which was to tackle the issue of HIV/AIDS.

"I'm still thinking about it. How to raise the issue without making it stereotypical or a cliche... But it's still just an offer, nothing's set yet," said the father of Laras Rahardjo Djarot, 13, and Kasih Rahardjo Djarot, 10.

So, after 30 years in the film industry, is he satisfied?

"Not yet, I feel that the government still does not side with Indonesian films like the American (government) does with Hollywood," he said.

Through Hollywood, he said, America can destroy something without a bomb, leaving its victims alive but with radically changed values.

"If the government takes sides with Indonesian films, it will allow (former president) Sukarno's slogan that Indonesian is a born artist to come true."