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PFN’s continuing legacy, from celluloid to digital
Armed with its colonial heritage and state-of-the-art facilities, the state-owned film company is not only a veritable archive of Indonesian filmmaking, but also an agent of innovation.
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Childhood callback: Puppets more than 40 years old, depicting characters from long-running children’s show “Si Unyil“, stand next to a vintage film projector at Studio Blackbox of Produksi Film Negara (PFN) in East Jakarta. (JP/Sylviana Hamdani)
I
n stark contrast to the restless bustle in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, where honking cars, motorbikes and hurrying pedestrians weave through the streets, a quiet complex stands, tucked between a sports center and a neon-lit fast-food joint.
This leafy enclave is home to PT Produksi Film Negara (PFN), the birthplace of iconic Indonesian films and TV shows like Si Unyil (1981-1993), Serangan Fajar (Attack at Dawn, 1982) and Pemberontakan G30S/PKI (Treachery of the Sept. 30 abortive coup/Indonesian Communist Party, 1984).
With one of the most sophisticated film laboratories in the Asia-Pacific, the influence of the state-owned audiovisual company once extended far beyond national borders, processing movies from across the region.
Back then, the company “was a film factory”, PFN’s asset management head Iwan Setiawan said on Feb. 9, during an open house to celebrate the eighth anniversary of tour operator Wisata Kreatif Jakarta.
“Many films from across the Asia-Pacific were processed right here,” he added.
But PFN is not just a relic of the past; it has evolved with the times.
Storied history
