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Jakarta Post

Nan Achnas: A life immersed in cinema

JP/Cynthia WebbNan Achnas’ first job was as a young reporter at The Jakarta Post during the paper’s early years

Cynthia Webb (The Jakarta Post)
Brisbane, Australia
Tue, October 26, 2010

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Nan Achnas: A life immersed in cinema

JP/Cynthia Webb

Nan Achnas’ first job was as a young reporter at The Jakarta Post during the paper’s early years.

However, as a young woman with strong opinions, being told to “kill a story” did not sit well with her.

Nan was sent to cover a demonstration by schoolgirls who wanted to wear hijabs at a time when it was forbidden. Her editors later received a phone call from the State Secretariat telling them that nothing could be published about the demonstration.

“How things have changed,” said Nan. “I realized that during the Soeharto era we couldn’t really do any glamorous investigative journalism.”

She resigned after only about a year at the Post and she enrolled in film school, where she hoped she could express herself more freely.

Even now, as an experienced film producer and the director of four films of her own, she still finds herself battling bureaucrats — but now it is about the content of films.

“I love the beautiful process of making films. I especially enjoy pre-production, doing the research. By the time I come to start shooting, I have planned everything thoroughly and I am able to shoot quite effectively. I have it all on paper and in my head,” Nan said.

Nan now teaches in the Master’s program at the Jakarta Art Institute (IKJ)’s film school. She said
she tells her students about their role as artists: “You must be responsible filmmakers. Making a film is like architecture. You must make sure that your structure is strong and beautiful for people to share, and it must have a good foundation. The films we make will be here after we die.”

“I think it is important for the government of Indonesia to realize how important the film medium is.

Another word for ‘entertainment’ could be ‘propaganda’ or ‘public relations’. There is no money being put into supporting the industry, or into film education. The film school at [IKJ] is only partially subsidized by the city of Jakarta. Other countries see their film industries as national assets. France, Germany, Australia, South Korea and the UK and others have government-supported film schools.

“One example is the cinema of Iran. We used to see Iran as totally fundamentalist, with hardline thinking. But through their cinema we can see the human and universal values of the Iranian people.

It is so important for a country to have a counter-image, so I think our government should really think about it. Yes, we need engineers, doctors and whatnot, but we also need filmmakers. It’s so far-reaching, now more than ever before, with the Internet, and film piracy and downloading, as well as normal means of film distribution.”

The Indonesian government had realized one aspect of this, she said, but was responding in a negative way with rules, regulations and controls. The government should help assist the film industry to develop into something Indonesia could be proud of, she added.

“The South Korean film industry began a breakthrough period around 1997, when the government changed and everything was freed up including the film industry. Now they have a remarkable climate
for cinema.”

In late September, Nan Achnas visited Brisbane, Australia, for 10 days. She was honored by receiving the first invitation issued to an Indonesian to take part in the selection of films to be nominated for the fifth Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), which will be held at Gold Coast, Queensland in December.

Nan produced the film 3 Doa, 3 Cinta (Three Wishes, Three Loves), which was nominated by APSA
last year.

“I’m on the other end of it this time! Last year we were excited to have a nomination. But
now that I know the details of the APSA process — now that I know how high the standard is — I am truly appreciative of having received that nomination.

This year, the films in competition have already won major awards at the world’s top festivals, such as Venice, Cannes and Berlin film festivals. The criteria here are different from many other film festivals. It is stipulated that a film must have a theme that will bring information and understanding to others.”

Achnas thinks perhaps many people in Indonesia confuse APSA with the Asia Pacific Film Festival, which is held in a different Southeast Asian country each year. “However, to get your film through the elimination process at APSA, the standard to meet is a lot higher.”  

It should be noted that APSA is not a film festival. It is an awards event, similar in organization, to the Academy Awards in Hollywood.

Nan was well-suited to her task as an APSA nomination council member. The council is comprised of international film experts from nations in the Asia-Pacific region. It required her to view over 100 films to find the gems.

Nan’s father, Naz Achnas, was one of the first film directors in Malaysia when he made his first feature film at the age of 25. He was from Padang, and as is well known, Minang men are travelers. He took a job in Kuala Lumpur and the family moved there.

Later he landed a job in a Singaporean advertising agency. Nan was born and educated in Malaysia so her English is excellent.

During her formative years the father-and-daughter film buffs watched the classic films of world cinema at foreign embassies in Singapore. Nan’s father made sure they were always on the guest list.

When Nan’s schooling was complete they returned to Jakarta.

As a teacher of film studies, Nan loves to read books on film theory. However, 10 years ago she promised herself that she would write a much-needed book on the history of Indonesia’s film industry.

“I must do it,” she reminded herself.

When she herself was a student at IKJ, her own teachers were the pioneers of the film industry, including cinematographer Sutomo Ganda Subrata, directors D. Djayakusuma and Arifin C. Noer, and editors Sumarjono and Chalid Arifin. These men were self-taught.

Some of them had completed film courses in the Soviet Union and the US. One of these directors would bring to campus the rushes of a film he was making and invite students to watch. Sometimes the actors were also present, Nan said.

‘These film pioneers had really interesting stories to tell, and they made the history of Indonesian cinema. They didn’t actually influence my own filmmaking style, but their very existence is vital to my existence as an Indonesian filmmaker,” said Nan.

Nan has had a busy year, teaching, attending APSA 2009, visiting a film festival in Dubai, and a women’s film festival in the Czech Republic in the company of Nia Dinata, working on three film scripts and serving as a member of APSA’s nominations council. She hopes to begin shooting one of her scripts next March.

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