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Film Music Food: A stage for independent movies
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Determination: Sri (played by Ponco Sutiyem, left) in a scene from Ziarah. (BW Purba Negara/File)
W
atching independent films, swaying to a melody and savoring delectable dishes — this was exactly what visitors looked for when they left their houses last Saturday to attend Film Musik Makan (Film Music Food) at the Goethe-Institut in Menteng, Central Jakarta.
Held annually by Kolektif, a film distributor that focuses on providing nonformal education to the public through screenings and dialogues between filmmakers and the public, the event attracted young people who were hungry for alternative, nonmainstream genres of entertainment. Film Musik Makan was also aimed at celebrating National Film Day on March 30.
“Every weekend, people seek entertainment activities — watching movies, listening to music and eating. We wanted to combine those three things into one event,” Kolektif founder Meiske Taurisia said.
With an admission fee of Rp 200,000 (US$ 15), this year’s visitors could watch BW Purba Negara’s feature film Ziarah, Singaporean Boo Junfeng’s Apprentice and Wicaksono Wisnu Legowo’s Turah in addition to enjoying the performance of indie band Pandai Besi and munch flavorful meals made by filmmakers.
Indonesian independent filmmakers have made the country proud abroad, but they are still struggling to find ways to help their audience get greater access to their work.
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Meiske said Ziarah, which won Best Asian Feature at the SalaMindanaw Asian Film Festival, was worth watching. Film Musik Makan she said, always promoted independent films because it was difficult to find them in movie theaters.
“The number of places that screen independent films were just a handful. For example, Kineforum [in Cikini, Central Jakarta], Kinesaurus [in Kemang, South Jakarta] and Cine Space [in Serpong, Tangerang],” she said.
Ziarah tells about Mbah Sri, an old woman who travels to look for the tomb of her husband, who allegedly died during the second Dutch Military Aggression in 1948. Sri was played by Ponco Sutiyem, a 95-year-old woman from Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta.
Purba said he made the right decision by following his instinct when it came to casting the main character. He said when he met Ponco for the first time, he already believed that she had what it took to star in his first feature film.
“I am so lucky to have worked with her,” Purba said in a discussion after the screening of Ziarah.
The 34-year-old filmmaker, who has made 13 short movies and documentaries, said he was mesmerized by Ponco’s determination in real life during the filmmaking process. Purba admitted he was very worried about the health of Ponco as she was very old. Before the film shoot began, she was suddenly rushed to a hospital.
Purba almost looked for another woman to replace her, but he was surprised to learn that Ponco did not want to quit. Her family told him that she never stopped talking about the movie at the hospital. “She said, ‘Aku arep main film [I want to play in a movie]’,” he said, quoting Ponco.
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Purba said like other filmmakers of independent movies, he was also struggling to get Ziarah screened in movie theaters. He said businesspeople working with mainstream theaters might worry that independent movies would be hard to sell, a paradigm that he has tried to debunk.
He said when he met the owners of movie theaters, he told them that independent movies had an audience. For example, when Ziarah was screened during Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival in Yogyakarta in December 2016, the tickets were sold out in 30 minutes only.
“Hopefully, it can hit the theaters in May,” he said.
Meiske believes that independent films have a bright future, citing Istirahatlah Kata Kata [Solo, Solitude] as an example. Directed by Yosep Anggi Noen, the Wiji Thukul biopic successfully hit theaters and grabbed 51,544 viewers.
“I hope other [independent] films will follow,” said Meiske, who has produced more than 10 films, including Postcards from the Zoo.
After watching films and joining discussions, visitors devoured chicken noodle presented by actress Lola Amaria, pork dishes by cinematographer Batara Goempar and loenpia (spring rolls) by film editor Aline Jusria.
Aline, who won two Citra Awards for editing Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park (Sunday Morning in Victoria Park) and
Catatan Harian Si Boy (Boy’s Daily Diary), said that her mother cooked the loenpia and she just helped her sell it online. “I don’t like cooking but I like selling,” she said, laughing.
