Three female directors share what prepared them for the film industry
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Directors Hadrah Daeng Ratu, Naya Anindita, and Ginanti Rona have said that their love of reading, writing, and storytelling is what drew them to work in the film industry.
“I enjoy telling stories. In fact, when I tell stories to my friends, they listen to me from the beginning of the story to the end,” said Hadrah during a discussion session in Jakarta on Sunday.
The founder of the production house Narasi Semesta said that she was accustomed to reading storybooks and writing short stories and prose from junior secondary school onwards.
After taking part in theatre activities during senior secondary school, she became increasingly aware of her love of storytelling, which in turn made her interested in presenting stories through film.
To sharpen her skills, she tried to broaden her knowledge by watching one film every day when she began her career in the film industry.
Hadrah watched various film genres and studied the production process.
Her efforts bore fruit. Hadrah has produced many works. Among others, she directed the films “Assalamualaikum Baitullah”, “Pantaskah Aku Berhijab”, and “Jangan Buang Ibu.”
“My father liked to write scripts for films that were only watched by our extended family,” said the director of the films “Komang”, “Tunggu Aku Sukses Nanti”, and “Agensi Rumah Tangga”.
“Initially, as a teenager, I did not want to get involved, but along the way, I eventually felt that I had found that, of all the things I tried, this was the most suitable,” said Naya, who later studied multimedia and broadcasting.
Director Ginanti Rona said that her love of reading and storytelling, as well as her habit of writing a diary, made her interested in studying film at the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ).
After that, her involvement in film production helped her understand the complexity of the work and trained her ability to work in the film industry.
“With the complexity or pressure that we face, it ultimately also trains us to have the mentality or ability,” said the director of the films “Qorin” and “Dasim”.
“And we come to know, and to what extent we can remain responsible and do our work as well as possible, and ultimately that takes us further towards our dreams,” she said.