Film-therapy for young victims

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 07/05/2006 4:55 PM

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Bantul

""Just act natural, don't make it up,"" yelled sixth grader Jadmiko Ali Setiawan to the cast.

That particular morning, the boy was assisting with the filming of a short documentary about schoolchildren following the May 27 earthquake.

The 15-minute short, Sekolah Kami Yang Runtuh (Our Collapsed School), describes the situation faced by students at SD Banjardadap elementary school in Potorono, Bantul, in particular, after their school collapsed in the disaster and lessons were held in a makeshift shelter.

The film is being made with the assistance of the Yogyakarta Kelopa community, which works with disadvantaged children, but the group's coordinator, Irham Setiaji, said the students came up with the idea, picked the setting, developed the storyline and took charge of the shoot.

The group only gave them a camera and showed them how to use it.

""They want to share their experiences and suffering following the May 27 earthquake,"" Irham told The Jakarta Post.

He said making the film was also therapeutic for the children.

""Producing a film, documenting all they have gone through, will ease their burden,"" he said.

With a crew of 14 coming together for a one-day shoot and another two days of editing, the film was ready to screen.

""Not bad, the children can laugh and forget their worries,"" Irham said.

For the 14 students, the filmmaking process was enjoyable, helping them to share their experiences, as most of their homes, and also their school, were destroyed in the earthquake.

""It's tiring but I love making films. It keeps me busy,"" said Firman Firmansyah, 13, who found the location for the film.

The first six minutes of the film, which is without dialog, shows students at the emergency school going about their daily routines.

The remainder of the film shows how people coped in the aftermath of the disaster, particularly in terms of transportation and communication problems and the distribution of aid.

Interviews with victims are cut into the film.

Ngatirah, a resident of Balong Kidul in Bantul, was asked, for example, about her family, whether she had received any assistance and where she was sleeping.

""We wanted to be just like professional reporters,"" said Kristanti, who interviewed Ngatirah. ""We modeled our reporting style on TV reporters.""

But she asked more personal questions, such as about the distribution of aid, based on her own experiences. ""My house collapsed and we live in a tent. So I asked whether she had received any assistance,"" Kristanti said.

The exercise in filmmaking received full support from teachers.

""By making this film, and playing it back again, the children can laugh. This helps them recover from their trauma. It's better than if they stayed home doing nothing,"" said Sukidi, a teacher at the school.

Principal Sri Wismiati said the exercise was a form of entertainment for the children who had a lot on their minds.

""Assisting child victims is important to help them get over their trauma after their homes and school were flattened,"" she said.

The coordinators of the project are hoping to help children in other quake-hit areas make films about their experiences. ""This is our first project, we plan to move on to other schools,"" Irham said.

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