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Upi Avianto: Taking bold directions
Courtesy of ChicScriptwriter/film director Upi Avianto, who gained success for action flicks Serigala Terakhir (the Last Wolf) and Radit dan Jani (Radit and Jani), used to say that she always loved the action genre
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Courtesy of Chic
Scriptwriter/film director Upi Avianto, who gained success for action flicks Serigala Terakhir (the Last Wolf) and Radit dan Jani (Radit and Jani), used to say that she always loved the action genre. Just recently, however, she combined action and comedy in her latest work Red Cobex.
Right after the emcee ended the press briefing for the release of the movie Red Cobex at a restaurant in South Jakarta, dozens of reporters rushed to get one-on-one interviews with the actors such as Aida Nurmala, Cut Mini, Indy Barends, Sarah Sechan, Tika Panggabean and Irfan Hakim.
While the celebrities were busy striking poses for cameras, Upi snuck back to her seat at the corner of the dining area.
Upi once said on her blog that she had a hard time dealing with journalists, admitting she preferred to be behind the camera.
With her short hair and bangs, Upi looked much younger than her age of 38. She also wore bright blue eyeshadow and shocking green nail polish.
It’s a tough job to get her talk much since she prefers short answers.
Upi said that she had no formal education in film directing.
“I first became interested in watching movies when I was little. I also liked reading books and writing. So
I thought it would be more interesting if I could visualize those stories into the big screen,” she said.
Despite her passion to work in the movie industry, her parents said no.
“In the 1990s, the Indonesian film industry was in the doldrums. So they thought that the film industry would offer me nothing and I would have no future,” she said.
She refused to let go of her dream. When she was in the first year in college, she worked as a freelancer in a local production house called Broadcast Design Indonesia (BDI).
Due to her love of the movie world, she later decided to drop out of college and worked full time in the production house in the mid 1990s, starting from scratch.
“I did not have any formal education. I was just an assistant for artists during those years. I wiped the dripping sweat off the artists, and prepared and bought them lunch,” she remembered.
“I did not feel ashamed. I was happy doing it. My parents did not even know what I did.”
Slowly but surely, she learned the A-to-Z of films, from production to creativity.
“I learn by doing. I watched a lot of movies and replayed them again and again. I also learned about the movie’s storyline and techniques,” she said.
No pain, no gain. Her tireless efforts paid off when she was chosen to be an assistant director for a music video, before she finally had the chance to direct music videos and sinetrons.
Upi’s career in the film industry began in 2002, when she wrote the screenplay of horror flick Tusuk Jelangkung, the sequel of blockbuster movie Jelangkung (the Uninvited), followed by chick flick Lovely Luna a year later.
Her directorial debut was the romantic comedy 30 Hari Mencari Cinta (30 Days Searching for Love), starring Dinna Olivia, Nirina Zubir, and Maria Agnes.
The story centers around three girls who live together and think they are doomed to be single forever.
They set a challenge: whoever can get a boyfriend in 30 days will not have to do errands.
In 2006, Upi released her second film Realita, Cinta dan Rock ‘n Roll (Reality, Love and Rock ‘n Roll), which tells the story of two rebellious boys who are confronted with the harsh urban reality.
A year later, Upi took part in Perempuan Punya Cerita (Women’s Stories), a movie project directed by four female directors: Upi, Nia Dinata, Lasja F. Susatyo and Fatimah T. Rony.
It was followed by the critically acclaimed teen drama Radit dan Jani (Radit and Jani), telling of the troubled romance of two young, married couples who try to survive the wild life of big city. It earned her a nomination as Best Director at the 2008 Indonesian Film Festival.
Upi continued to develop her skills by making a East Asian-style action flick Serigala Terakhir (the Last Wolf), a story of the damaged friendship of five young men and revenge, starring talented actors such as Vino G. Bastian, who happens to be Upi’s boyfriend, Fathir Muchtar, Reza Pahlevi and Dallas Pratama.
After writing some rock ‘n roll-themed movies, now Upi wants to try something new by bringing in an element of femininity in her latest film Red Cobex, released in June.
She said that Red Cobex, which she herself wrote, was the expression of the world today. The film tells the story of a group of women who fight bad guys in the neighborhood.
The group, Upi said, is typical of hard-line groups in the country. “I often see the news and I see that there are many outfits turning into hard-liners, acting like thugs and using violent means,” she explained.
“They think that they are always right and they want to wipe off all the things that they think are wrong. I’m very annoyed with this.”
“I have to be more patient in facing actresses because they, for instance, sometimes get easily tiredand can’t stay long under the sun.”
She later decided to make a parody based on the current situation, while the title was taken from the notorious Jakarta gang Kapak Merah (Red Ax). “We opted to use red cobek (earthenware bowls) because it represents women.”
Upi also tried to capture multi-ethnic characters like the people from Maluku, East Java’s Madura, Central Java’s Tegal, and North Sulawesi’s Manado, which represents the plurality of this nation.
Through this film, she hoped that people would learn to love others. “Take a look around. Today, many Indonesians tend to be very prejudicial and judgmental. I hope they can learn to love and live in peace after they watch this film.”
If you’ve seen Upi’s other recent movies, Serigala Terakhir (the Last Wolf) and Radit dan Jani, Upi’s latest creation might look different.
Like Upi’s previous movies, Red Cobex also has action scenes, but it is much more playful compared to the ones in Serigala Terakhir.
“This time, I’m in the mood to make a movie about women, but I don’t want to create just an ordinary chick flick,” said Upi.
“Women are often portrayed to be victims of domestic abuse. Now, I make a movie about a group of powerful women.”
The making of the film, she said, was much faster and simpler than her previous projects.
“This is my simplest creation so far. It was produced on a low budget and with quick preparation, but I’m quite satisfied with the result,” she said, adding that the budget was less than half of the budget for Serigala Terakhir, which cost about Rp 8 billion (US$882,500).
Upi said that she looked up to foreign directors in making movies.
“One of my favorite films of all time is All About My Mother, directed by Pedro Almodovar. I like Latino directors better than Hollywood ones, because they are edgier and more dynamic.”
When it comes to shooting a film, Upi plays by the rules.
“I tend to be strict with my actors, when I want them to show the feeling that I want to. One thing is certain, I will get mad at people who are procrastinating.”
She said she found it easier to work with male actors.
“I get more comfortable directing male-oriented films instead of chick flicks. It’s also easier for me to direct actors than actresses,” she said.
“I have to be more patient in facing actresses because they, for instance, sometimes get easily tired and can’t stay long under the sun.“
Upi is interested in directing a thriller.
“A producer told me that a thriller would not sell in the Indonesian market. So, well, maybe I am waiting for the right time,” she revealed.
“Right now I already have another project in mind, but I’ll keep that to myself.”
With her success, Upi has proven to her parents that she can survive, earning a living from the movie business.
What do her parents say about her success?
“I’ve never asked them how they think about me now. But they can finally see that I’m serious about working in this business.”
Upi doesn’t care what people think about her. Outside of the bright lights of the entertainment industry,
she’s just an ordinary woman who tries to live her life, does her job well while raising her son Farrel, who she calls “little monster”.
“If I’m not working, I would spend my time watching movies and TV shows, reading books and of course having fun with Farrel. I want to make him happy and be a good mother for him.”
