TV stations gear up for school holidays

JAKARTA (JP): School holidays start tomorrow. Forget homework, do outdoor activities like camping or fishing, and after a long and tiring day, you can watch some interesting programs on television during your weeklong holidays.

Three local television stations, TPI, SCTV and RCTI have already prepared special holiday programs, which include cartoons, films and entertainment shows.

RCTI will air the blockbuster Petualangan Sherina (The Adventures of Sherina) on March 15 at 8 p.m.

Petualangan Sherina, whose leading star is Indonesia's popular child actress and singer, Sherina Munaf, was released on June 14, 2000.

Directed by talented young directors Riri Riza and Mira Lesmana, Petualangan Sherina also stars Didi Petet, Mathias Muchus, Butet Kertaredjasa, Djadoek Ferianto and Teater Koma's Ratna Riantiarno.

The 114-minute musical is about friendship, children and family relationships, and has beautiful views of Lembang in Bandung where the movie was shot.

Sherina plays the daughter of Darmawan (Mathias Muchus), a Japanese-educated agronomist, opposite model Derby Romero, who plays Sadam, the scion of the Ardiwilagas.

The film begins with Sherina leaving her close friends to move to Lembang with her family where her father has been assigned to work for the Ardiwilaga family who is in the plantation business.

In her new school, Sherina makes new friends, but her friends and her are bullied by Sadam and his gang. Soon after she learns more about him, she encourages others to "knock him out".

When Sherina and her family visit the hillside home of the Ardiwilagas, she sees Sadam there. Sadam challenges her to walk from his home to the famed Boscha Observatory. Sherina's adventure begins here.

The film, which cost about Rp 2 billion to make, is produced by Miles Production, owned by Mira Lesmana.

Mira is noted for her film Kuldesak, where she used young directors including Riri Reza and Nan T. Achnas. She shot to fame with Kuldesak and was named one of the country's promising young film producers, despite the slowdown in the national film industry.

RCTI will also air a documentary on the making of Petualangan Sherina titled Oops Aku Salah, on March 15 at 11 a.m.

Another TV station SCTV is also preparing special programs to entertain TV viewers, especially children, from March 10 through March 18.

The following films will be aired at 1 p.m.: Excalibur Kid (March 10), Bushwhacked (March 11), The Sleeping Spell (March 12), Johnny and Clyde (March 16), Edward Scissorhands (March 17) andWhite Water Summer (March 18).

White Water Summer, directed by Jeff Bleckner, is about the camping experience of Alan (Sean Austin) and his three friends who are accompanied by an experienced guide, Vic (Kevin Bacon), during their school holidays. On their way to the camp site, Vic accidentally breaks his leg and has to rely on the students to survive.

Kevin Bacon starred in Quicksilver (1986), Criminal Law (1989) and Apollo 13 (1995).

SCTV, which was chosen by the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) magazine as one of the 200 best companies in Asia last year, has also prepared comedies like Little Indian, Big City (March 1 at 1 p.m.) and The Young and Old Wanderers, (March 17 at 9 a.m.), and cartoons The Hunchback of Notre Dame (March 10 at 8 a.m.)and The Adventures of Raggie Rabbit (March 17 at 8 a.m.).

TPI will be proudly broadcasting a children's musical show Kring Ola La, featuring child singers, from March 12 through March 15 at 2:30 p.m.

TPI's announced that it will air an animation titled Conan, The Adventures every Friday at 3 p.m. starting March 30. Make the most of your holidays! (Sri Ramadani)