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Filmmakers want more screens for local movies
Producers and filmmakers have called on the government to promote homegrown movies, especially by opening more theaters that show local films
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roducers and filmmakers have called on the government to promote homegrown movies, especially by opening more theaters that show local films.
Actor and director Lukman Sardi, who also chairs the committte organizing the Indonesian Film Festival (FFI) this year, said that the increasing rate of production of local films should go hand in hand with increased distribution in cinemas throughout the country.
'Our concern now is how to build a movie-watching culture in this nation. We know in some places, cinemas are hard to find. We've been approaching businesspeople and government to make this possible,' Lukman told reporters at a press briefing to unveil the 2015 FFI earlier this week.
Lukman said that Indonesia could learn from South Korea in developing a local film industry.
'South Korean movies have won many local fans. We're still far behind. One of the most viewed movies so far is 'Laskar Pelangi [Rainbow Warrior]' which had only about four million viewers,' Lukman said.
'The effort to improve the quality of local movies will be long. The Koreans have been doing this for longer that just the past few years,' he said.
Lukman said that this year's FFI aimed to bring the local film industry closer to the public.
He said that one of the efforts included announcing the festival's nominees in one of Jakarta's popular shopping malls on Nov. 12. Last year, the announcement was made at an invite-only event.
Winners in each category will be announced on Nov. 21 at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in South Tangerang, Banten.
At the awards night, the committee will stage an event that pays tribute to the late director Teguh Karya.
Art director for the award night, Rama Soeprapto, said Teguh's experience could teach young filmmakers about perseverance and hard work as keys to success in the industry.
'We have to learn from senior directors, such as Teguh Karya whose movies were backed by strong scripts and have roots in the theater. There are still many artists who need to learn about this,' Rama said.
The Culture, Elementary and Secondary Ministry said the government expected an improvement in the quality of local films.
Head of Literature and Film Appreciation Division at the Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry, Subantoro, said that the number of films produced rose from 105 in 2013 to 120 last year.
'In terms of quantity, the number increased significantly. In terms of quality it has also improved. There are more and more movies with historical, family and cultural values. We can compare to five years ago when horror movies were booming. Audiences now have better preference in movies. This affects production because, in a way, producers follow demands,' Subantoro said.
Subantoro said some of the quality films included Sebelum Pagi Terulang Kembali, a movie about corruption culture in Indonesia; Cahaya dari Timur: Beta Maluku, a movie based on a true story of a football team growing up in Maluku amid religious conflicts in the early 2000s; and Tjokroaminoto: Guru Bangsa, a movie about H.O.S Tjokroaminoto, a community leader in Surabaya, East Java, who was considered by many as Soekarno's teacher.
