Govt bans 'disturbing' films about Aceh, Timor Leste

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 11/24/2006 12:28 PM | Life

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Four documentary films about the life of people in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and Timor Leste will not be screened during the 8th Jakarta International Film Festival (JiFFest) due to government restrictions.

JiFFest program manager Lalu Roisamri confirmed Thursday that films the state censorship agency (LSF) described as ""disturbing"" would not be screened at JiFFest, which is scheduled to run from Dec. 8 through 17.

""I'm disappointed because the implication is that JiFFest and its audiences are not considered mature enough to watch them,"" Lalu told The Jakarta Post.

LSF was contacted by phone Thursday but The Jakarta Post was unable to obtain a response from them on this specific matter.

The JiFFest program guidebook distributed to the press contains a reference to the four films plus short synopses, but with the word ""censored"" printed across them in large type.

The four films are Passabe, Timor Loro Sae, Tales of Crocodiles and Black Road.

The first three were also banned at last year's festival. The films portray the situation in Timor Leste from colonization to independence.

Meanwhile, Black Road by journalist-turned-filmmaker William Nessen, tells the story of Aceh's struggle for independence. It took four years for Nessen to complete.

Lalu said he hoped the censorship agency would relent and allow the screening of these films to a limited audience.

""Should the censorship agency allow us to screen these films, we would organize a discussion afterward,"" he said.

JiFFest chairwoman Shanty Harmayn said that her team had tried to obtain permission to screen the three films on Timor Leste after the ban last year.

""We hoped the policy would have changed one year on. In fact, the restriction is still there,"" Shanty said.

Meantime, JiFFest director Orlow Seunke said that if Indonesians were not allowed to watch and discuss the issues raised by the films, how could they ever be expected to resolve them.

""This is totally strange,"" he added.

Passabe, a film named after a subdistrict in Oecusi, Timor Leste, is about the conflict that follows Timor Leste's breakaway from Indonesia in 1999.

The conflict between anti-independence Indonesian militia and pro-independence East Timorese claimed many lives.

The 108-minute documentary film by James Leong and Lynn Lee studies the aftermath of the 1999 clash by asking the question, ""What is the price of peace?""

Timor Loro Sae is a short film (12 minutes) that deals with the history of Timor Leste, while Tales of Crocodiles is about attempts to reunite people in Timor Leste through the commission for reconciliation.

Out of respect for the regulations, Lalu said, JiFFest would not screen those films.

""We respect the existing regulations, although the parameters used by the censorship agency are debatable. We hope there will be no restrictions or censorship on JiFFest in future years,"" Lalu added.

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