A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The annual Jakarta International Film Festival (JiFFest) 2007 is scheduled for Dec. 6 to 16 and should keep Jakartans entertained with everything from world-class, award-winning movies, to local horror flicks.
The 9th JiFFest is set to open with the screening of a French-Iranian film Persepolis by directors Vincent Paranoud and Marjane Satrapi.
It should close with an Indonesian movie, Chants of Lotus, by four female directors including Fatimah Tobing, Lasja F. Sustyo, Upi and Nia Dinata.
""For the first time, we proudly present an Indonesian movie as the closing work,"" JiFFest program director Lalu Roisamri said Wednesday.
Lalu said the event drew some 60,000 people last year and was the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia.
The films have been divided into categories of World Cinema, Panorama, House of Docs, and A View of Southeast Asia.
In the World Cinema category, big films with famous stars and respected directors would be screened, such as Ethan and Joel Coen's No Country for Old Men, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem; Mira Nair's heartfelt film The Namesake, based on Jhumpa Lahiri's critically acclaimed novel of the same title; and also the winner of the Palme D'Or for this year's best feature in Cannes Film Festival, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days from Romania.
In the Panorama group, Cate Blanchett reprises her role as Queen Elizabeth I on Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Julie Delpie stars in 2 Days in Paris.
""Due to the growing cinema world in Southeast Asia, we will also present a special section for films from the region,"" Lalu said.
Movies from Singapore include Singapore GaGa and Invisible City; from Malaysia audiences would be able to view Flower in the Pocket; and from the Philippine's, Donsol. A tribute to the filmmaker and artist P. Ramlee will also be screened, Lalu said.
JiFFest would also host the gala premiere of Singapore's latest musical feature 881 by Royston Tan, a box office hit in its native country and also the Garden State's entry for Best Foreign Language at the Academy Awards, 2008.
For the second time, JiFFest is set to hold an Indonesian Feature Film Competition, with prizes of US$5,000 each for best director and best film.
Selected films released from October 2006 to October this year, include competing horror movies Hantu Jeruk Purut, Hantu Bangku Kosong, Kuntilanak, Lantai 13, Lawang Sewu Dendam Kuntilanak, Leak, Pocong 2, Suster Ngesot, and Terowongan Casablanca.
Lalu said JiFFest will, as last year, apply a membership system. Audiences should be able to get membership cards at certain locations, including Djakarta Theater XXI, Blitz Megaplex Aksara Bookstore, Plaza Senayan XXI and 21 Cineplex and Cilandak Town Square from Nov. 22 to Dec. 7.
[Box]
9th International Film Festival Dec. 7-16 Hot line: 6221 31925115 www.jiffest.org
