H

e has made many films – from action, drama, horror to teen flicks. This time around, it’s a film for children.

His latest venture – Lima Elang [Five Eagles] – was his first into the film genre and he was enthusiastic about his new baby, speaking in rapid fire and moving his hands to emphasize his intentions.

The 40-year-old director said that when filming Lima Elang, he did not view himself as a director, but mostly as a father.

“I put myself as a father, not a director. I cannot treat the children, say – like [the way I treat actor] Fauzi Baadilah. You know, it requires a lot of patience to work with children,” said the father of two who is expecting a newborn sometime late this year.

The film was also the first where he worked directly with children.

Most of the film’s main characters were first time child actors, with the exception of Monica Sayangbati, who previously played in Alenia Pictures’ Serdadu Kumbang [Beetle Troop].

Filming was not always a smooth process. There were times when Rudi was disappointed with the kids when they were rehearsing at his home.

Unhappy, he later called the children, who were already on their way back home, to return to his place and view the rehearsal video.

“I replayed the video for them and asked whether that would be the acting they want the viewers to see. I told them that if their acting was bad, they would be the ones who would feel embarrassed,” Rudi said.

The method worked wonders. The children’s acting skills improved and he had not much more to complain about.

He also asked his children to come and watch.

“I asked my children to watch the scenes. Although they are still very young, I know they can tell whether a movie is enjoyable or not,” he said.

Lima Elang takes on the scout movement, or Pramuka, and centers on a young boy who loves playing with remote control cars and resists the scout’s recruitment program despite strong encouragement from his schoolmates.

Rudi said that he previously knew little about the scouts, something that the film highlights, so he consulted with the National Scout movement leaders to seek more details.

During the shooting process, he said he realized that the scouts teach important life skills such as leadership, public speaking, friendship, independence and natural survival. Being a member of the scouts, he said, was not obligatory in his schools and he never joined the club.

“I took karate after school. I never thought that scouting would have such great values,” he said, adding that he was determined to encourage his children to join the scouts when they grew older.

Born in Bogor, West Java, Rudi never expected that he would become the filmmaker he is today.

Some 20 years ago, he thought he would be a policeman like his father, the late National Police chief Gen. Anton Soedjarwo.

After graduating from high school, he was planning to join the Indonesian Armed Forces, then known as ABRI, which was previously the umbrella for the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Police.

On the fateful night before he joined, his father’s friend visited Rudi’s house and asked him a question that made him reconsider his plans.

“My father’s friend asked why I didn’t study abroad and I was thinking ‘Why not?’ That option sounded more interesting,” Rudi said.

He decided to go to the US and studied management at San Diego State University in California before studying filmmaking at the Academy of Arts College [now Academy of Arts University] in San Francisco.

The decision to study film was also made in a snap – something he decided to fill extra time with after finishing his management studies.

He chose filmmaking because the subject interested him more than other options. Rudi recalled thinking that his decision might have been against his father’s wishes.

When his father was in critical condition while Rudi was in high school, he wrote an unfinished note that read “Rudi ABR”.

“I knew he was attempted to say that he wanted me to join ABRI. I still regret that I could not fulfill his wish,” Rudi says.

But he was quick to add that although he may have not become a policeman, as a filmmaker, he wanted to make a film that could help improve the police image.

Rudi’s filmmaking life moved at full speed right after he directed his debut movie, Bintang Jatuh [Falling Star, 2000].

The teen flick, which was made on a shoestring budget, might not have been a smash hit, but it marked an important beginning for Rudi’s career.

“Bintang Jatuh is memorable to me because it was my first film. Since then, everything has seemed to flow effortlessly,” he said.

Rudi spotted Dian Sastrowardoyo at the end of 1999 and trusted her with a leading role in Bintang Jatuh, giving her the role of Donna, a college student who falls in love with her best friend. Bintang Jatuh was also Dian’s debut film.

The two, Rudi and Dian, teamed up again for the blockbuster teen flick Ada Apa Dengan Cinta (What’s Up with Cinta?) which elevated them both to stardom.

The teen flick, which reportedly sold 2.6 million tickets, won Rudi the Citra Award for Best Film Director.

More of his films – Mengejar Matahari (Chasing the Sun), 9 Naga (Nine Dragons), Mendadak Dangdut (Suddenly Dangdut) – became hits. But things were not always smooth for Rudi.

His horror flick, Pocong (The Shrouded Ghost), was banned by the Film Censorship Board, which considered it too violent and unsuitable for public release.

Rudi did not give up and came up with its sequel, Pocong 2, and received positive feedback from critics and horror movie buffs charmed by its clever and heart-pounding thrills.

After directing Lima Elang, he will be working on another children’s movie project – a sequel to Garuda di Dadaku (Garuda in my Heart), which will continue the adventures of its main character, Bayu, in his quest to become a professional soccer player.

When asked about his wildest dreams, Rudi chuckled and paused for a moment before finally saying that he wants to have enough time to see his children grow up and enjoy his legacy.

“When I was younger, I wanted to make films with certain themes. Now, I just want to make quality films that can make my children proud of me,” he said.

He also hopes to make other of his favorite movie genres. “I am a war film buff! I want to make a war film someday”.