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View all search results2020: Ifa Isfansyah: “I’m bored by people who talk a lot”
Words Sebastian Partogi Illustration Mufty FairuzFilmmaker Ifa Isfansyah has remained consistently productive in putting out numerous films notable for the diversity of their themes
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Words Sebastian Partogi Illustration Mufty Fairuz
Filmmaker Ifa Isfansyah has remained consistently productive in putting out numerous films notable for the diversity of their themes. Among his greatest hits are Garuda di Dadaku (Garuda in my Heart, 2009), a drama about an Indonesian sixth grader who dreams of being a great soccer player; Sang Penari (The Dancer, 2011), a screen adaptation of prominent writer Ahmad Tohari’s famous Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk (The Dancer from Paruk village) on events surrounding the 1965 national tragedy; as well as the beauty and dark side of Indonesian martial arts in Pendekar Tongkat Emas (The Golden Cane Warrior, 2014). The 36-year-old’s latest output is Catatan Dodol Calon Dokter (Silly Accounts of a Doctor-to-be), released in October. His life is never far from the world of cinema: the husband of fellow filmmaker Kamila Andini and son-in-law of noted senior film director Garin Nugroho is also this year’s executive director of the 11th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF), which kicked off on Nov. 28 and concludes today.
My best habit …
I always attempt to come to meetings on time, since being late makes me feel very guilty.
My worst habit …
Being messy in bathrooms.
What makes me happy …
Being home.
My favorite food …
Recently, Chinese I fu mie noodles.
My least favorite food …
Mustard greens. But it recently became quite tricky, since if you eat I fu mie noodles, you can’t help but have them on the top of them, right?
My favorite hangout …
The Kinosaurus cinema café in Kemang, South Jakarta.
And coffee shop …
Kopi Manyar in Bintaro, South Tangerang, just because it is located near my house.
I am bored by …
People who talk a lot.
A perfect leisure time for me is …
Playing with my toddler.
My favorite band …
Radiohead.
Favorite song by Radiohead …
“High and Dry”.
A gadget I cannot live without …
My laptop.
My favorite social media application …
Instagram; I find it very convenient because it allows me to tell stories through pictures. Yes, Path can allow you to do that, too, but Path is private and my Instagram postings rarely talk about private issues so I
can share them with a wider public.
My favorite film festival …
Busan and Rotterdam international film festivals as both of them provide space for new filmmaking talents from Asia. Furthermore, these festivals are very important for filmmakers to develop their careers.
Role model director …
Yasujirō Ozu.
My favorite films …
Tokyo Story by Yasujirō Ozu and Nobody Knows by Hirokazu Koreeda.
My dream collaboration …
With [South Korean film director and screenwriter] Bong Joon-ho.
The latest movie I’ve watched …
Sing Street by John Carney.
My biggest dream …
To set up yet another school like the Jogja Film Academy in Yogyakarta, where we can discover and groom new talents in filmmaking.
Most nerve-racking experience …
Traveling by boat, because I can’t swim. Therefore, I am scared when I’m close to the water. The activity, unfortunately, is unavoidable when you have to shoot certain scenes for particular films, like Pendekar Tongkat Emas.
