Yogya's oldest film school faces the cutting floor

Yogya's oldest film school faces the cutting floor

Asip A. Hasani, Contributor, Yogyakarta

In a pendopo (large gazebo-like terrace) of an old Javanese traditional house in densely populated Kampong Ngasem in Yogyakarta, five young people watch attentively as an elderly man holds a length of bamboo as if it were a video camera.

"I am trying to demonstrate to my students a simulation of shooting a film," said Edo Nur Cahyo who teaches film-making at the Indonesian Academy of Drama and Film (ASDRAFI)

Of course there was a reason for not using a real camera but even if he wanted to use a real one, he would not have an option, because this film academy does not have one.

"I usually have to take my students to a studio where they can, at least, have a look at equipment used in film-making," he said.

With the poor facilities at ASDRAFI, it is hard to believe that several prominent stars in the country's lucrative entertainment business, such as the late movie director Teguh Karya, top playwrights W.S. Rendra and Putu Wijaya, and veteran actors George Rudy, Mien Brojo and Kusno Sujarwadi graduated from the academy.

The school was founded in 1951 by a group of actors, some from the Yogyakarta nobility.

Initially, it was located on Jl. Malioboro before moving three years later to Ngasem in a huge house belonging to Bandoro Pangeran Haryo Pakuningratan -- a member of Yogyakarta's royal family and himself is a classical Javanese dancer.

The school has been run since then at the house's pendopo for almost half a century. Sitting on a 1.5-hectare plot of land with a spacious front yard, the school only has one indoor classroom -- a small room in one corner of the pendopo. Students usually have their physical exercises in the front yard.

"We most frequently use these wide pendopo and front yard to stage various kinds of performances," said Ende Riza who teaches a pantomime class at the academy. Besides Ende there are eight other lecturers including Pakuningratan's grandchild, Rina Chaeri. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that the lecturers are all paid just Rp 15,000 (around US$1) per week.

ASDRAFI has apparently lost its claim of being the leading school of drama and film in the country. The long list of alumnae -- with many famous names -- are only reminders of its past golden years.

At present, the school is poorly equipped. No wonder that it has been left behind, unable to compete with a number of similar schools, with far better facilities.

Fewer and fewer students are interested in the academy. In 2003, there were only 16 students, but over half of them quit after just one semester.

Previously, in 2002 and 2001, all of the students had quit their classes before completing the three-year-program.

"Now there are only six of us. Our instructors say that becoming an ASDRAFI student is easy, but completing the whole program is terribly hard," said Ized, a student from Central Sulawesi. Ized was motivated to study at the academy because of Putu Wijaya, his idol, and one of the academy's graduates.

Poor management is blamed by many for the situation. The school is managed by the descendants of Pakuningratan. His son Ibnu Chaeri is the current academic director.

A yayasan or foundation -- functioning as the patron of a school is no longer effective as many of its board members are too old or have already passed away.

"There is no regeneration in the foundation. Thus, it exists legally but not operationally," said Riza, adding that ASDRAFI should emphasize theater exercise (drama) rather than film study due to its poor financial ability.

The ministry of culture and education once offered accreditation for ASDRAFI, but the offer was refused by ASDRAFI's director.

"There are too many conditions required to win the accreditation from the government such as the clauses which say that the lecturers must hold certain academic degrees," said Rina Chaeri, adding that winning the accreditation costs too much for the academy.

Rina, however, said that the academy would not stop finding ways to develop. She said that the academy would one day hold a fund-raising program through which the academy graduates would be asked to give donations.

It sounds odd, but despite the low salary the academy's instructors earn, they pledge to "defend" the academy whatever happens.

"We have resolved to maintain the life of this academy no matter what happens. Even if there is only one student, we will teach him or her," Edo said.