Rebirth of Indonesian film industry, and the glaring lack of creativity

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 06/09/2007 7:14 AM | Opinion

Nan Achnas, Jakarta

The national film industry got off to a difficult start this year, with a number of artists returning their Citra awards to protest the fact that a film under scrutiny for alleged plagiarism received the Best Picture and Dest Director laurels.

The film Ekskul reportedly incorporated music from foreign films such as Gladiator and The Chronicles of Narnia.

This incident is merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of the many problems facing the country's burgeoning film industry. Outdated regulations, censorship, financial constraints on filmmakers, a shaky film infrastructure and a lack of support for film education are some of the persistent challenges.

Many reasons are cited for the sharp decline of the Indonesian film industry, including the proliferation of VCDs, the entry of privately-owned television and cable stations, multiplexes filled with American films, and misguided bureaucratic policies.

In the 1990s, under the New Order, films were deemed a medium of government propaganda. But filmmakers, mostly graduates and students of the Faculty of Film and Television at the Jakarta Institute of Arts, refused to follow the regulations meted out by the government. They produced the groundbreaking movie Kuldesak when the Ministry of Information was still in power in 1998.

The film, which tells four interwoven stories about young Indonesians in Jakarta, was produced using the latest technology. The filmmakers had access to the latest ideas and techniques because they were actively involved in television commercials and music videos.

These professional backgrounds, along with film and television education and the availability of information via the internet and other media have fostered a new generation of Indonesian filmmakers. This generation is well-versed in filmmaking, distribution and exhibition.

At the same time, the fledging industry saw the creation of a young audience that watches mainly popular Hollywood films. Unfortunately, because Indonesian films are not run in theaters and are shown in badly-transferred formats on television, young people are not exposed to the Indonesian cinema of the past. During interviews, only a handful of prospective students at the Faculty of Film and Television at the Jakarta Institute of the Arts could name an Indonesian film director of the 1970s or '80s, let alone the founding fathers of Indonesian cinema.

This missing link to history has led to a generation whose viewing tastes are not rooted in Indonesian film culture, but are shaped by Hollywood, European, Indian, Iranian, Chinese and Korean films that can be obtained on pirated DVDs at the fraction of the price of a cinema ticket.

Indonesians films produced since 2000 have mainly catered to people aged 15 to 25. Once and a while a brave director and producer will put out a different type of film, challenging the mainstream teenage romance flicks, horror films and comedies. These include Leaf on a Pillow, which is about street children, Denias Senandung di Atas Awan, which follows the adventures of a Papuan boy in search of an education and Gie, a portrait of a student activist in the 1960s.

At present, there are approximately 40 to 50 films released each year compared to around 100 films 15 years ago. But the potential for a booming national film industry is not so far away, given the way audiences are flocking to watch Indonesian films. With inexpensive pirated foreign films available, and for other reasons having to do with spectatorship, Indonesian films are becoming a primary choice for cinema-goers.

The popularity of Indonesian films also stems from the need to see and identify our faces projected in the big screen. To hear our language, to laugh at the inside jokes, to relate to the images as being ours and to share similar world-views and mental landscapes. In short, it is to experience the common thread of identity of what it takes to be Indonesian. Be it the numerous horror and teenage flicks, or the occasional art-cinema Indonesian film, Indonesian audiences see the commonality in the images being presented on the big screen.

This need to see oneself onscreen is also reflected on television, with the bulk of airtime allocated for Indonesian programs. Soap operas, miniseries, reality shows, talk shows and made-for-TV movies are predominantly featured on all television stations aimed at a mass audience.

Despite its success with audiences, the Indonesian film industry is plagued with problems that need to be addressed urgently before it succumbs to the problems of the past.

The government seems unsure as to where to put film on its administrative map. Film has moved around a lot. It was placed in various ministries such as the Ministry of Information and Ministry of Arts and Culture. It is now under the care of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which hasn't done enough to develop the industry.

The culture ministry merely follows tradition, such as providing annual awards and supporting the Indonesian Film Festival. These are actually expensive and have no screenings or fringe events that can benefit Indonesian cinema. The ministry has also held a much-criticized script-writing competition in which the best three scripts are produced without any transparency in the process of production and distribution.

The government should recognize how important a film industry is for a nation. Strong policies are needed to create a thriving film industry that can contribute to the country's economic, political and ideological growth.

Films as a tool have tremendous ideological dimensions that in the long run will influence every aspect of life, as well as how the country's image is projected abroad.

The writer is a filmmaker and lecturer in cinema studies at the Faculty of Film and Television, Jakarta Institute of Arts.

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