Positive developments in Indonesia’s cinema industry have prompted some observers to think of this as the ‘golden era’ of Indonesian films, but some practitioners and filmmakers believe we are not there yet.

Many problems still have to be solved for the country’s film industry to return to its heyday, such naysayers argue.

Let us start with the bright pictures first: according to data collected by the country’s largest theater chain, the industry managed to attract 16 million viewers in the first seven months of 2016 and is expected to surpass the record of 30 million viewers in 2009 with the release of various local films that have managed to break new records in audience numbers, such as Ada Apa dengan Cinta? 2 (What’s Up with Love? 2) and Warkop DKI Reborn: Jangkrik Boss Part I.

Besides 21 Cineplex, which controls 80 percent of screens nationwide, two other major players are Blitz Megaplex and Lippo Group, with the latter having launched its division for cinema business, Cinemaxx.

NON-MAINSTREAM FILMS

In addition to major cinema theaters with Hollywood blockbusters, cinema cafés, like Kinosaurus, Pavilion 88 and Kineforum, have enlivened the local film scene all around the country.

These cafes regularly screen non-mainstream films with limited seating for up to 50 people.

Collective screening initiatives like Kolektif X, which goes from town to town to cater to non-mainstream film lovers, has also expanded the possibilities of more people enjoying Indonesian films.

Kolektif X is a project that takes non-mainstream films from filmmakers before presenting it to the relevant communities interested in watching it. It has screened films in Jakarta and Makassar, South Sulawesi, among others.

“Truly, this is the birth of a solution. The most annoying question non-mainstream filmmakers can get is ‘how can I watch your film?’. Kolektif helps to solve that problem,” filmmaker Paul Agusta told The Jakarta Post during a recent interview.

With the existence of alternative screenings, major cinemas no longer become the filmmakers’s main preference to exhibit their products. Many filmmakers, like Teddy Soeriaatmadja and Djenar Maesa Ayu, turn to non-mainstream festivals to launch their films.

Filmmaker Richard Oh even wishes for Indonesia to go beyond cinema cafes by also having stand-alone cinemas dedicated specifically for non-mainstream movies, like in Europe.

COMMERCIAL FILM PROBLEMS

Furthermore, Richard asserted that commercial films did not need to “dumb it down” in order to attract audiences. He believes repetition and poor quality are the two most common problems adopted by Indonesian commercial films to attract audiences.

Film critic Eric Sasono echoes Richard’s sentiment.

“For example, most horror movies show the same shots and scene construction,” he told the Post in a recent interview.

Lack of depth is also another issue, Richard added.

“Most filmmakers only work on an issue at a very superficial level. For example, if a character is suffering from an illness, the symptoms associated with that illness often don’t match reality,” Richard said.

Eric said that repetition of themes could result in market saturation as viewers get tired of being exposed to the same things over and over again.

He also mentioned how rapid money circulation is carried out by producers to gain profits from a genre until it is worn off.

“There was a time when people started to get tired of horror films and, to compensate, filmmakers tried to insert sexual elements into it. Ultimately, the effort didn’t pay off,” he said.

Together in love: Dian Sastrowardoyo (left) and Nicholas Saputra act in Ada Apa dengan Cinta? 2 (What’s up with Love? 2), another commercially-successful film of this year.(Courtesy of Miles)

FUNDING AND INVESTMENT

Richard said that production houses’ tendency to cater only to certain tastes has led to the production of low-quality films.

Unfortunately, high budgets do not always translate to high quality since not all filmmakers have the right aesthetics and skills to produce a movie.

To make things worse, funding for non-mainstream filmmakers is hard to come by.

“Funding for non-mainstream films is very sporadic. Several filmmakers have to beg here and there for money,” he said.

One of the reasons for this is because film is considered a high-risk investment, so there is no way to gauge the return on investment accurately beforehand, Eric stated in the book Menjegal Film Indonesia: Pemetaan Ekonomi Politik Industri Film Indonesia (Quashing Indonesian Film: the Economic and Political Mapping of Indonesia’s Film Industry).

Paul, however, remains optimistic.

“To secure funding, you need to build reputation. This is why sending films to international festivals helps,” he said.

However, he suggested that filmmakers find their suitable audience and festival first.

“This is why it’s very important for you to study the characteristics of each festival and think whether your film suits them after you finish making it,” he said.

For example, movies carrying lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) topics might not make it in a Dubai festival, while Scotland is a suitable place for environmental and mental health movies.

Both Paul and Eric also suggested that filmmakers actively engage with their audience through discussion forums and social media to establish their reputation.

This February, the Indonesian investment coordination board (BKPM) has removed film from its negative list for foreign investments. Paul said that releasing films in international festivals was a good way to attract foreign investors.

“However, we should be ready to live up to international film-making standards, which are very high,” he said.

Richard, however, said he did not see any methods that filmmakers could use to capitalize foreign investments.

“We don’t understand where to go if we have projects and so on,” he said.

Eric said that it was still too early to think of strategies to capitalize on foreign investments for films, since it has just been moved from the negative investment list.