RUSLI EDDY: (JP/Nauval Yazid)

Ask Rusli Eddy, the director of the Indonesian International Fantastic Film Festival (INAFFF), how he defines a good film and he leans closer and says firmly, “A good horror is a good film, actually”.

He quickly adds that, “It’s not easy to scare people”.

“We see a lot of horror films made with rapid, MTV-style editing: jump cuts here and there. Sure, that kind of scene makes you a bit surprised and shocked, but that’s all.

“To create a suspenseful scene is not easy. Directors have to visualize it in the backs of their minds before they begin shooting ... They know where to put cameras, lighting, everything. It takes a genius to do that.”

Known to many as “Sly” (including readers of his biweekly film column in a lifestyle magazine), Rusli is a self-admitted pure film fan, in “no position to criticize any film”.

Sly has come a long way to give birth to one of the less pretentious events in town. As witnessed by his rambling, often overlapping words that mix one film with another, it is clear Sly has got what it takes to take the helm of his genre film festival — passion.

“I owe my parents for my passion in film. I remember back in Medan (North Sumatra) where I grew up, every weekend I was seated between my mom and dad on an old scooter, going to the cinemas to watch films.

“Sometimes we rented Beta videotapes and watched old Chinese martial arts films. But, I have to say, of all the things I watched, horror has grown on me the most.

“I remember watching Nafsu Serakah (Greedy Desire). It was not exactly a horror, but it was a good thriller. And there was also this film, similar to The Exorcist, called Kemasukan Setan (Possessed by the Devil), with Rahayu Effendi playing the Ellen Burstyn role. That’s one creepy film.

“But the one film I remember most is Pengabdi Setan (The Devil Worshiper). Sofia WD and WD Mochtar star in this film, about some maids who conspire to kill their master. I was so terrified.

“You could say I was haunted by the film, and if anyone asks about my childhood memories, this film definitely played a big part.”

Sly grins, showing no objection to being called a geek. After all, he says, “I’m fine. I didn’t grow up to be a psycho just because my childhood was spent watching those films. My parents were there and, yes, they had their eyes on me during some inappropriate scenes. Back then, no PG-rating restrictions applied.”

Taking his well-inherited enjoyment of film-watching, Sly pursued a string of creative careers before a period in London sharpened his focus.

“I was in London for my studies and I came upon this ‘Fright Fest’. It was only a four or five-day festival, with only around 20 films screened, but you could feel the intimacy of the fest.

“So I thought, we should have this kind of festival in Jakarta ... But I have to say, I was a bit skeptical at first. Would such a festival work here? 

“Let’s face it, our film audiences tend to behave very well. Then I remembered: teenagers like to scream — sometimes making noises even before the bad guys appear, having a good laugh about it. And then I realized there was potential here.”

Thus came “Screamfest”, the first Indonesian festival dedicated mainly to horror films, with subsequent programming to include anime, sci-fi, thriller and fantasy genres. Rusli says the festival may even accommodate the many “genre-bending and crossover films these days”.

The name change from Screamfest to “INAFFF”, came in response to several queries last year.

“We thought the name ‘Screamfest’ was perhaps too horror, when we wanted to cater for other genres too.”

INAFFF, sometimes still marketed as Screamfest, returns this month with a surprisingly clearer and much more focused selection.

Premiering a local horror film, Takut (Afraid), in the opening slot, the festival will also feature a fantasy thriller, The Spirit, in a similar fashion to last year’s festival.

What returns to the festival will (of course) be the fans. Some six thousand film buffs and viewers flocked to the festival last year — a promising start for a niche event that had not been projected beforehand.

“It was a struggle. Well, it still is a struggle actually. How do you make horror a respected commodity? How do you lift up horror?

“I remember, I had to convince the chairman of the Indonesian Film Directorate ... he was skeptical, ‘Why horror? Are you sure?’

“He might have seen what most other people see: Horror films, especially the locally made ones, have not been well-made lately.

“But look, there are other good films out there from outside Hollywood, and the festival is a good opportunity for our audiences to see them on the big screen, with a fun ambience.

“Besides, horror never dies. It is always there. Look at our film history. Horror is always present under any circumstances.”

His optimism comes at the heels of his dying faith toward local horror cinema, which he says, “has missed the real gripping core of our local culture”.

“What makes our local horror creepy are the religious elements. Prayers before burials of dead bodies; the atmosphere in our graveyards; these are things that make our culture so rich with myths and superstitious beliefs.

“The myths may have been retold recently, but the religious elements were missing, and the productions are so Americanized that the films only serve as entertainment pieces — not scary at all.”

Sly does not make any suggestions or offer any advice, but hints at his personal element of passion. “It takes a passion in filmmaking to make a good horror. You don’t have to like horror to make a good one. I don’t think Stanley Kubrick was a horror fan, but look at The Shining. It’s one of the best horror films ever.”

Other than The Shining, Sly said his pick for the top-five horror films include the aforementioned Pengabdi Setan, The Blair Witch Project, Event Horizon and The Sixth Sense.

“These belong to the category of good, well-made films, but if you ask me what fun horror film I really like the most, it is Evil Dead 2 by Sam Raimi. Can you believe that such a corny film was made by a director who would later make the Spiderman series?”

Sly said he was on a mission to make the INAFFF fun and memorable.

“If you come out of a movie and have no memory whatsoever of it, then I don’t think it was a good film.”

Popular

Luhut confirms Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed rail project will continue

TNI protection details for prosecutors spark overreach fears

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phyllida Lloyd among mentors of latest Rolex Arts Initiative