Gading Marten, Marsha Timothy, Mouly Surya, Widyawati (Photos: JP/Jerry Adiguna)

This year’s Indonesian Film Festival (FFI) Awards were dominated by one groundbreaking and stakes-raising film, but the nominee list also poses the question: Are there not enough filmmakers in Indonesia?

In a turn of events that surprised absolutely no one, Mouly Surya’s critically acclaimed 2017 film Marlina Si Pembunuh Dalam Empat Babak (Marlina The Murderer In Four Acts) effectively gutted the entire competition, sweeping up 10 awards.

Marlina emerged victorious in the Best Film, Best Director, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Female, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Editing, Best Sound Design, and Best Artistic Direction categories, effectively setting a new high standard in Indonesian film.

Mouly had previously won Best Director and Best Film in 2008 for her film Fiksi, and was nominated once in 2013 for Best Original Screenplay for What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love.

As the film’s cast and crew slowly won almost every category they were nominated in, it was clear that upsets were never going to be caused by any underdog nominees. There were no clear underdogs, and the ones that were closest, such as Sekala Niskala and Aruna & Lidahnya managed to win in categories where Marlina was either not nominated or had no significant strength.

The film’s wins for Best Lead Actress, Best Director and Best Film, though, were inevitable and seemed like there was no proper competition from any of the other films to take it on. No matter how quirky and charming Dian Sastrowardoyo was in the excellent Aruna, Marsha Timothy’s devastatingly graceful lead in Marlina was just far too great to take on for the Best Lead Actress award.

The only acting categories that Marlina did not win were interestingly both the Best Male Lead and the Best Supporting Male. As a very female-oriented film, the males in Marlina served only peripheral purposes, only giving additional color to the strong female leads.  

It also did not win the Best Child Actor category, for the simple reason that there were no child actors in Marlina. That category was won by Ni Kadek Thaly Titi Kasih for Sekala Niskala.

Best Male Lead went to Gading Marten for his performance in the critically acclaimed Love For Sale, beating out such strong contenders as Iqbaal Ramadhan (Dilan 1990), Oka Antara (Aruna & Lidahnya), Ario Bayu (Sultan Agung: Tahta, Perjuangan, Cinta) and Adipati Dolkien (Teman Tapi Menikah).

The win was a moment of redemption for Gading, who has made his career on screen mostly in terrible comedies, dramas and soap operas. As the child of legendary actor Roy Marten, he outlined in his speech that it was not easy living in his father’s shadow as an actor due to the constant comparisons people draw between them. This is why, he said, he chose to dedicate his award to his father, as a show of
gratitude.

“Daddy, your son is now an actor too!” Gading shouted. “The Marten name is now once again in its right place!”

Best Supporting Male went to Nicholas Saputra for his unique role in Aruna & Lidahnya, beating out Marlina male supports Egi Fedly and Yoga Pratama.

A curious thing to highlight about the awards was the somewhat imbalanced structure of some of the nomination lists. In some categories, such as Best Film and Best Director, Marlina went up against only two or three other nominees, making one wonder: Are there really only three Indonesian directors this year that deserve nomination?

Looking at the list of nominees, which included multiple nominations for some individuals and films, it did not feel that the awards were broad enough to display the scope of the Indonesian film industry in 2018, but it could also mean that films released this year were simply unable to compete with Marlina.

For a viewer of the awards ceremony itself, the ceremony felt underwhelming and dull. But for the winners and the creators present in the theater that night, especially Mouly and Gading Marten, it was a night that confirmed the industry’s respect for their talent.

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