As the Indonesia Kebanggaanku (Indonesia my pride) student film festival came to a close, participating students found they had learned much more than just how to appreciate the work of others.
During the workshop they learned how to film children acting naturally, how to manage a film budget, what makes a good plot and the fundamentals of editing.
The Jakarta Art Institute Film and Television Department organized the festival from June 11 to 13 at its campus in Central Jakarta. The festival included screenings of 22 selected short films of 169 submissions that high school students from across the country had produced and sent in.
Films competed in five categories: live fiction, animation, documentary, public service announcement and music video.
Program coordinator Tomy W. Taslim said he hoped the festival could be a place for high school students to channel their love for the arts, especially movies, stressing that the medium of film as a creative outlet developed quickly among students.
“The strong point in most of these movies is they succeeded in demonstrating the uniqueness of their respective regions,” Tommy said.
However, he said, the student filmmakers still needed to learn more about storytelling, and hoped the workshops could help them improve in that area.
Participant Novanda Fibrianti from SMKN 1 Pogalan Trenggalek in East Java, said they were excited they had made it to the final round and had had the chance to learn more about films.
She also said she felt relief that their hard work during production had paid off, especially because they had faced strong resistance in their community.
“When they saw we were picked as a finalist, they started taking us and our project more seriously,” Novanda said.
“We’re really nuts about making multimedia. By coming to the festival, I not only met other students who have the same passion but also learned directly from experts,” said Novanda, who had traveled to the capital with two friends.
Her movie, Untukku Untukmu dan Untuk Negeri Kita (For me, you and our country), won best film in the live fiction category.
Jaya Terus Indonesiaku (Long Live Indonesia), produced by SMKN 1 Cimahi in West Java, won best animation. In the documentary category, the number one spot went to SMKN 3 Batu in East Java for their movie Banteng Monel (Monel bulls); the winner in the public service advertising category was Hijau Negeriku Indah Indonesiaku (My green country, my beautiful Indonesia) from SMKN 1 Sukabumi in West Java; and the winning music video came from SMKN 8 Surakarta in Central Java, Repertoar Dalam Sakit (Repertoire in pain).
The award for best director went to Prima Cita who directed Hijau Negeriku Indah Indonesiaku. Prima won twice over, also receiving a scholarship to attend Jakarta Art Institute for a year.
ys/Novia D. Rulistia
