T

hose who went along to a Jakarta cinema on Thursday afternoon to watch Mata Tertutup (Eyes Shut) had their visit cut short when the movie, which documents Islamic radicalism and its influence in society, was abruptly stopped after less than half an hour.

Around 20 minutes after the movie began, the screen at Plaza Senayan XXI went blank and the lights were turned on. A couple of staff from the theater entered the auditorium, apologized to viewers and proceeded to refund people’s ticket money and hand out vouchers. Screenings of the same movie in cinemas across the country were also canceled.

Mata Tertutup is directed by filmmaker Garin Nugroho, and the story is said to be based on research conducted by the Maarif Institute, an NGO known for its campaigns on tolerance and pluralism. The film dramatically retells the experiences of people who were recruited by a group known as the Islamic State of Indonesia (NII).

Senior actress Jajang C. Noer is one of the actresses in the movie, playing a mother whose daughter begins to display strange behavior and then goes missing. Thereafter, her daughter is reported to have been recruited by the NII.

Cineplex 21 Group spokesman Noorca Massardi said he did not know whether the cancellation of the screening was due to the movie failing to pass censorship or another reason.

Marlia Nurdiyani from SET Films, which produced the movie along with the Maarif Institute, said they were only
made aware of the cancellation from their staff, who were standing by in the theaters, and from Cineplex 21.

Mukhlis Paeni from the Film Censorship Board (LSF) said the incident was due to a technical glitch in administrative procedures and not because of the movie’s content. “The movie has been censored for television
but not for the big screen. There is a different procedure [for movies screened in cinemas]. Once the papers are signed, it can be screened,” he said.

Fajar Riza Ul Haq from the Maarif Institute said in a text message that the movie was “finally able to be screened starting tonight [Thursday]”.

The halting of the screening prompted questions in cyberworld. The user of Twitter account @christpramudia said: “Anyone know why Mata Tertutup stopped suddenly in the middle? *Cries. This is a really good movie, why?,” while the user of Twitter account @ifanismail posted: “Surabaya, Bandung, Jakarta. #MataTertutup stopped screening while running.”