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View all search resultsAFI plans awards, drive-in to tout local movies
âLayar tancapâ: AFI held a layar tancap, or traditional movie screening at Ayodya Park in Barito, South Jakarta
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âLayar tancapâ: AFI held a layar tancap, or traditional movie screening at Ayodya Park in Barito, South Jakarta. (Courtesy AFI) (Courtesy AFI)
'Layar tancap': AFI held a layar tancap, or traditional movie screening at Ayodya Park in Barito, South Jakarta. (Courtesy AFI)
According to Aryananda, who heads the creative division of Apresiasi Film Indonesia (AFI), local cinema is in trouble. 'Post 2000, Indonesian films have become less popular. Film production has increased, but it's mostly for commercial reasons.'
In response, he and other filmmakers and critics have teamed up with the Culture and Education Ministry for the second iteration of AFI, which will culminate in an awards night to honor films for their depictions of Indonesian cultural identity, values, wisdom and character building.
Technical awards, such as those for editing or sound design, will not be given this year, according to film critic and AFI jury chairman Totot Indrarto. 'It would be impossible to measure technical considerations under [AFI's new] theme. So, the judgment will recognize films based wholly on their content.'
The AFI awards, to be held on Nov. 4, will feature 18 new categories, including nods for film festival and community favorites, animated films, best new director and even best independent student film.
Submissions in the student category came from as far away as Aceh and Papua, according to organizers. The youngest filmmaker was a second-year senior high school student.
The films under consideration include, among others, 9 Summers 10 Autumns, directed by Ifa Isfansyah, who also helmed the big-screen adaptation of Ahmad Tosari's The Dancer about the violence in post-1965 Indonesia; Riri Riza's Atambua 39 Degrees Celsius, about the plight of refugees from East Timor, now Timor Leste; Faozan Rizal's Habibie & Ainun, about the relationship between former president BJ Habibie and his late wife; and Rako Prijanto's Sang Kiai.
AFI has also been promoting film through outdoor film screenings and a night of movie-themed stand-up comedy on Metro TV. On Oct. 26, AFI held its last 'Layar Terkembang' screening at Ayodya Park in Barito, South Jakarta. Screenings were also held at the National Development University in Yogyakarta and the AWS Communications Polytechnic in Surabaya, East Java, among other places.
The screening in Barito was done in the style of the layar tancap, i.e., outdoors, which is how films used to be shown in city and countryside in Indonesia before the advent of cinemas and DVD players.
More than 200 people, mostly members of the local community, couples on dates and families with kids, showed up.
On the bill were screenings of two Indonesian movies: Catatan Akhir Sekolah, directed by Hanung Bramantyo of Ayat-ayat Cinta fame, which tells of three boys making a documentary about their high school, and 5cm, by veteran director Rizal Mantovani, another nominated film, which follows the journey of six friends as they climb Java's highest peak, Mt. Mahameru.
One member of the audience, 28-year-old Lily from the Reptile Area Association community, supported AFI's vision for the event. 'Many people don't want to spend their time and money at the cinema, so film should be promoted this way.'
The layar tancap was devised to promote a conversation about movies and as a way to address problems in exhibiting films in Indonesia. According to Indrarto, there are currently around only 700 movie screens in the nation, down from more than 3,900 in the 1980s.
'[Film] appreciation plays a role in bridging the gap between difficult-to-understand films and the audience,' Indrarto said. 'What we're doing here is providing a space, to find out why they made the movie and how to enjoy through a discussion.'
Next up for AFI are several events at the South Plaza of Bung Karno Stadium on Nov. 3. The 'Karnival Film' will feature traditional Indonesian film poster painting on a huge canvas, while the 'Kampung Film Indonesia' will present exhibits on the history of Indonesian films from 1926 onwards.
In the evening, AFI will host a drive in. A 6-by-12-meter screen will be erected outdoors at the plaza and members of Jakarta's classic car clubs are expected to bring their retro rides to watch the film while in their cars.
Fifty cars from the Volkswagen Indonesia Association and Klasik & Retro Community are expected, and AFI will provide benches for about an additional 50 people, according to AFI Layar Terkembang project officer Gusti M. Taufik.
'Like in Ancol and Surabaya in the 80s, we will play Catatan si Boy and Gita Cinta dari SMA,' Gusti said, referring to two classic Indonesian films, Boy's Diary and Gita's High-School Song of Love.
'We'll include girls in rollerblades to sell popcorn and drinks.'
Visit afi2013.org or @ApresiasifilmID for more information.
The writer is an intern for The Jakarta Post.
