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Ismail Basbeth: Another trip to success
(Courtesy of IFFR 2015)Last year was a busy but still amazing one for filmmaker Ismail Basbeth
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(Courtesy of IFFR 2015) (Courtesy of IFFR 2015)
(Courtesy of IFFR 2015)
Last year was a busy but still amazing one for filmmaker Ismail Basbeth.
He had already released two movies, Another Trip to the Moon and Mencari Hilal (The Crescent Moon). Another movie, Talak 3 is now in theaters.
Another Trip to the Moon was selected for the Tiger Awards at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam 2015 and also made it into the official selection of the Moscow International Film Festival 2015.
Some have called it an absurdist fantasy film as it has no spoken dialogue, nor explanation given, during its 80 minutes. But it's not a silent movie. The sound of the jungle and songs humming creates a very beautiful soundtrack.
'It was my first feature film and also a statement for me as a director,' said Ismail.
The Wonosobo-born director fell in love with film-making when he moved to Yogyakarta in 2004.
Ismail started his career as an employee at a DVD rental store. Having access to so many movies gave him an interest in movie-making.
Director Ifa Isfansyah then asked him to get involved in the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF), which helped developed his network of people in the film industry and opened his career path.
His second movie, Hilal, was totally different. The movie was an adaptation of a French movie about a man who wants to fulfill his pilgrimage to Mecca by car.
Hilal was something personal for him. 'It's about acceptance, how we accept differences. Some said that it was about freedom and identity. It became huge [for me personally] because Hilal shows how Islam is viewed by the world,' he added.
Ismail said it was a challenge for him to make Hilal, a movie that had a good storyline that audiences could enjoy. 'It was something new for me,' he said.
The movie, unfortunately, was not a commercial success as it was only seen by about 12,000 viewers.
'Sure, I was disappointed. But it was a good lesson for me to think about how movies should be promoted and sold,' he said.
Nevertheless, the movie picked up several awards, including at the Indonesian Film Festival (FFI) for Best Actor, which was awarded to veteran actor Deddy Soetomo. The movie also competed in the Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2015.
Through Hilal, he made his way to Jakarta's film industry where most of the influential people of the industry work.
Hanung Bramantyo, an award-winning director, offered him several movie projects. But his connection with Hanung sometimes found him accused of being incapable of developing his own style.
'Hanung is one of the producers of Hilal while I was the director. Many people wonder if it wasn't my original idea. But Hanung always encourages me to make my own version of movies, not his,' Ismail said.
'He [Hanung] ensured I had freedom of creativity and always reminded me to be true to myself,' he added.
After a no-dialogue movie then a religious movie, the next challenge for Ismail was a romantic comedy.
His latest movie, Talak 3, is aimed at young people and families.
'Which one was the most difficult for me as a director? I think all of them. They were different movies with different approaches.'
The 30-year-old still has a long way to go in his career. He wishes to make many different kinds of movie in the future.
'So is there such thing as 'Ismail's style'? I don't think so. Making movies is my way of expressing feelings about many things. Through movies I can satisfy my curiosity,' he says.
For him, it is too soon to define himself into one film genre.
'A work of art is a collaborative work. We can't claim whose idea it is. And I don't want to limit myself as a director to a certain genre only. Indonesia's film industry is still developing. It will open many opportunities to create anything in the future,' Ismail said.
Directing Hilal is not something that he regretted despite the unexpectedly small audience. 'I can make box office movies anytime. But a chance to direct such a movie as Hilal probably won't come twice.'
