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The making of a president, on screen
This yearâs presidential election might be the most cinematic in Indonesian history
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This year's presidential election might be the most cinematic in Indonesian history.
The
media-savvy Gerindra Party, for example, released a documentary
entitled Sang Patriot (The Patriot) as part of its campaign to promote
Prabowo Subianto for president.
However, it was only last month that Sang Patriot generated a scandal for its treatment of one of its interviewees.
In
the film, available on Gerindra's YouTube channel, Oxford historian
Peter Carey was depicted as endorsing Prabowo by outlining his ancestry
to an aide-de-camp of national hero Prince Diponegoro, who led the
revolt against Dutch colonists during the Java War (1825-1830).
Carey,
however, said his interview had been recorded by the Sang Patriot's
filmmaker for a different project ' and not for the campaign video.
The
historian, who has asked that clips from the documentary featuring the
interview be taken down, said on the New Mandala blog the debate on the
film 'raises important questions about the use of history for
contemporary political purposes'.
However, looking at the political films of candidates reveals a host of motivations.
Jokowi,
for example, is a biopic about Jakarta's then-governor that was
released in June 2013. It was produced by KK Dheeraj, best known for his
sensational B-grade sexy horror movies, such as Hantu Puncak Datang
Bulan (The Menstruating Hilltop Ghost).
The gubernatorial biopic,
which follows Jokowi from his childhood to his election, did not fare
well at the box office at a time when the man was wildly popular. When
interviewed about the film, Jokowi, who was not involved in its
production, said he never saw the film ' nor did he want to see the
biopic.
Jokowi was less a production at the service of a
campaign and more an effort for producers to cash in on Jokowi's
popularity. Indeed, if the film was made to boost his presidential
prospects, it came way too early.
In a similar vein, Sepatu Dahlan (Dahlan's Shoes) told the story of State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan.
Set
in the 1950s in Dahlan's hometown of Magetan, Central Java, Sepatu
Dahlan was produced by Mizan, an Islamic book publisher that has in the
last five years invested billions of rupiah in large screen productions.
In
the film, Dahlan is a poor but visionary village boy striving for a
decent education ' a theme commonly found in Mizan films, such as the
ever-popular Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Troops), directed by Riri Riza.
When
Sepatu Dahlan was released in April, Dahlan was positioning himself as a
dark horse presidential candidate for the Democratic Party.
The
film was released, without much fanfare and attracted about 50,000
viewers. And the film left the box office after only a few days.
The Democrats chose not to nominate a candidate in 2014.
Meanwhile,
Charta Politika political analyst Yunarto Wijaya said before the
election that movies about candidates would not greatly affect people in
determining how they would vote.
'Making films about politics
as a campaign tool is creative,' he said. 'But it hardly sells, because
people are not used to watching political movies.'
Yunarto said
leaflets and the distribution of staple foods and even money were all
still more effective in wooing potential voters.
While not
envisioning an end to movies about candidates ' campaigns are unlikely
to abandon any tool when it comes to an election ' Yunarto says that
other strategies offer better returns.
'I think social media would be a better strategy to reach and influence a wider audience,' Yunarto said.
