T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) recently reaped yet more public attention for finally naming a former high-ranking official as a suspect in her own vote-buying case, but on Thursday night, the commission was basking in a different kind of spotlight.

Along with Transparency International Indonesia (TII) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), it held a star-studded movie premiere in Jakarta for the screening of four short films about corruption in everyday life in Indonesia.

KPK chairman Abraham Samad, who had named on the morning of the same day former Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor Miranda Swaray Goeltom a suspect in a bribery case centering on her election, said that the films constituted a creative anticorruption campaign medium because they were “more interesting and the message is more easily digested by the public”.

The films, compiled under the title Kita Versus Korupsi (Us versus Corruption) were a joint production of the TII, the KPK, USAID, Management Systems International and Cangkir Kopi. After the premiere, it was announced that the collection of short films, called Kita Versus Korupsi, was to be screened and discussed in at least 17 cities.

Kita Versus Korupsi comprises four short films: Rumah Perkara (The Troubled House) by Emil Heradi, Selamat Siang Risa! (Good Afternoon Risa!) by Ine Febriyanti, Aku Padamu (I to You) by Lasja F Susatyo, and Psssttt…Jangan Bilang Siapa-Siapa (Shh, Don’t Tell Anyone) by Chairun Nissa.

Rumah Perkara, starring Teuku Rifku Wikana, has an overall melancholic and dramatic storyline, enhanced by its sweeping cinematography of the traditional village in which it is set.

On the contrary, Psssttt… Jangan Bilang Siapa-Siapa is a far more humorous affair, in which three high school students expose the everyday corrupt practices they encounter and even participate in.

The actresses playing the students did a considerably good job of delivering their lines naturally and the fast editing kept viewers engaged and on their toes.

Aku Padamu, which features Nicholas Saputra and Revalina S. Temat, tells the story of a couple wanting to get married but who run into financial obstacles, which tempts the groom-to-be to resort to corruption to speed up the process of saving money.

Selamat Siang Risa! is mostly set in the struggling times of the 1970s, with actor Tora Soediro playing the role of a warehouse guard who refuses to participate in the illegal stockpiling of rice.

According to TII secretary-general Teten Masduki, the movie would help decrease the “supply of corruption”, and targeted the “regular people”.