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Balinale bridges Indonesian filmmakers to better platform
Seeing eye-to-eye: Actors Cornelius Sunny (left) and Sha Ine Febriyanti star in Djenar Maesa Ayu's latest offering, If This Is My Story
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eeing eye-to-eye: Actors Cornelius Sunny (left) and Sha Ine Febriyanti star in Djenar Maesa Ayu's latest offering, If This Is My Story. The film will be showcased at the Bali International Film Festival (Balinale).(Courtesy of Rumah Karya Sjuman)
After 12 years of bringing in the most influential people in the world film industry, the Bali International Film Festival —Balinale — returns this year, shaping up to become the most important of film event in the country.
It is now a meetup place for the key people of both the Indonesian film industry and their international counterparts where they can pitch projects and scout talent or locations within an established network, and not only view films or take part in competitions.
Running from Tuesday until Sunday in Cinemaxx Sidewalk Jimbaran in Badung, Bali, the organizing committee will host distinguished speakers and guests, including Natan Bogin from the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) whose agenda is to discuss developing a partnership with Balinale and strategies to grow CAA representation in Indonesia.
The Los Angeles-based leading entertainment and sports agency currently manages Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, to name a few.
“A lot of filmmakers, either producers, directors or actors, wish to expand their path,” said Deborah Gabinetti, executive director of the Bali Film Center and founder of Balinale.
“Balinale, of course, is here to help bridge the filmmakers to a better platform for their work in the future,” she said at a media briefing at Cinemaxx Plaza Semanggi, Central Jakarta, on Sept. 12.
Other Balinale guests include Donna Smith, an Academy award-winning producer and the first female to be president of production for Hollywood-based Universal Studios; Sarah Xu, cofounder and CEO of AY Entertainment Group Inc. that books and promotes A-list artists, Broadway and CIRQUE shows in Asia and currently is partnering with Balinale seeking film projects for multichannel distributors in China.
Indonesian filmmakers Ismail Basbeth and Djenar Maesa Ayu will also be speakers during the event to share their experiences and passion at work to empower aspiring filmmakers.
Berlinale curator Maryanne Redpath will also present some of the highly acclaimed selections of stories of youth and children featured in Germany's film festival at the Balinale.
Last but not least is Julian Grimmond, Emmy Award winning producer and the founder of Global Film Solutions (GFS) Indonesia that connects Indonesian content with the global screen industry. It will host the BalinaleX Industry Forum on Tuesday where Indonesian and global film people will hold an open dialogue about current challenges and future opportunities.
“The talent of Indonesian filmmakers is extensive and world-class. We are delighted to be creating a forum for filmmakers to showcase their knowledge to enable and inspire,” said Grimmond at the press conference.
This is evident from the removal of the Indonesian film category from both screening and competition because, according to Gabinetti, all 27 submissions — mostly shorts and documentaries — had met the required standard on quality.
“You can no longer make excuses it’s a local film because they’re all very good productions,” she added.
A total of 93 titles from 28 countries will be screened at the festival, including a lineup of nine world premieres, five international premieres and 19 Asian premieres, many with the filmmaker in attendance.
Among the outstanding films from the program are American movie Burning Cane written and directed by 19-year-old Phillip Youmans; South Korea’s Burning by Lee Chang-dong; and Indonesia’s Kado (A Gift) by Aditya Ahmad, which won the Best Film Award at the Venice International Film Festival last year.
The first English-speaking Indonesian action film Foxtrot Six, produced by Mario Kassar, will be showcased at the festival, as well as Djenar Maesa Ayu’s If This Is My Story, which centers on a couple’s struggle to keep their marriage intact.
Gabinetti said most of the selected films had unusual ideas and storytelling.
“They are personal, they are coming from the heart. I think the main theme of the film festival this year has more of the heart,” she said.
“With all focus and a spotlight on Indonesia, we will hopefully find projects that are global. But to actually make it happen you need an industry.”
