2007 was certainly an important year for Indonesian cinema. With 48 releases, Indonesia’s national cinema had the highest number of distributed films since the rebirth of cinema after the collapse of the industry in the 1990s. Figures comparable to those of the golden years of Indonesian cinema -- a period that extended into the late Eighties, when more than 100 films were made each year -- are still very far off. But 48 isn’t bad, considering the many structural problems of the internal market.
A big problem is the limited number of theatres and their unsatisfactory distribution throughout the archipelago. The island of Java alone accounts for 78% of the total number of venues. Combined with the very low total of moviegoers per year (35 million in 2006), as well as the rampant piracy, the situation seemed rosy to many people in the industry. It looked good especially because the belief spread throughout the whole industry that in 2007 the percentage of viewers who watched Indonesian films was higher than those who watched Hollywood flicks. It may have even exceeded 50% of the overall market.
At this moment no reliable statistics about movie theatre attendance are available. It’s extremely hard to give a serious assessment of the state of the industry. Producers and distributors habitually release data concerning box office receipts, and they still calculate them by the old-style system of direct phone calls to the movie theatres. Obviously, there is wide skepticism about such figures. Many fear they are manipulated for self-promotional purposes. Nevertheless, it is clear that Indonesian audiences do love their national product. The interest of local audiences in national films can be felt first-hand in movie theatres. Teenagers flock to watch horrors and romantic comedies. In 2008 the number of local films is likely to exceed 50. If film production wasn’t now a profitable activity, how anyone justify the increasing number of releases?
A few important steps were made towards an active export policy last year. Over the last three or four years, Indonesian horrors and teenage romantic comedies started finding a way -- thanks also to the linguistic and cultural proximity -- to the movie theatres of neighboring Malaysia, as well as those of Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines. Last year, for the first time, the main Indonesian production companies managed to join-up and present an Indonesian booth at the film market in Cannes. It’s a big step for the promotion of Indonesian products in the global market.
The most popular genres were once again horror, romantic comedy, and drama targeted at teenage audiences. This sub-genre in Indonesia could be labeled cinta movies, because of the ubiquitous presence of the word cinta (love) in the titles. (The most tautological title is Hanny Saputra’s Love Is Cinta). As for the horrors, three sequels were released in a row during October 2007: Jelangkung 3, Kuntilanak 2 and Pocong 3. Two films, whose titles sound like carbon copies, Suster Ngesot and Suster N., took inspiration from the same horrific character, the ‘crawling nurse’. The year’s best horror was undoubtedly Hantu (Ghost), the first feature film by former production designer Adrianto Sinaga. Hantu follows the pattern of a typical horror involving a group of youths losing their way in a haunted forest, with an obvious nod to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead. But it makes up for its limited budget with lots of irony and many visual inventions.
Among the romantic comedies and dramas, the most relevant titles included Love Is Cinta, Coklat Stroberi (Chocolate Strawberry) by Ardy Octaviand, Kamulah Satu-satunya (You’re the Only One) by Hanung Bramantyo, Merah Itu Cinta (Red Is Love) by Rako Prijanto, Kangen (I Miss You) and The Butterfly by Nayato Fio Nuala. There were also two films by Rudi Soedjarwo, whose Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? (2002) was the film that revamped commercial cinema in Indonesia. His Mengejar Mas-Mas and Cintapuccino both rank among the best Indonesian films of the year. The biggest commercial success among romantic comedies was Get Married by Hanung Bramantyo. Nirina Zubir plays the part of a tomboy who leads an all male gang of petty hoods. Her mother orders her to get married, otherwise she will haunt her, even from the grave.
The two biggest hits of 2007 were probably Naga Bonar (Jadi) 2 by Deddy Mizwar and Quickie Express by Dimas Djayadiningrat. The former is a sequel to a classic Indonesian film of the Eighties. In the first film, a clever pickpocket, played by Deddy Mizwar, finds himself involved in the anti-colonialist fight against the Dutch, and becomes a national hero. In last year’s update, which Deddy Mizwar directed himself, the eponymous hero Naga Bonar confronts his son, who moved to Jakarta, and became a successful businessman. He wants to use the family land, where Naga Bonar’s mother, wife and best friend’s graves are to be found, to build a holiday resort for Japanese tourists. Naga Bonar (Jadi) 2 presents, in a very conservative manner, the key values of traditional Indonesian culture. Surprisingly, the film managed to find a vast audience, even among youths.
Quickie Express, which FEFF has chosen as an introduction to Indonesian cinema, represents the reverse side of the coin. It has an enticing plot revolving around a gigolo agency that’s camouflaged as pizza restaurant. This film offers an image of Indonesia that is light years away from Islamic traditionalism. Both films star Tora Sudiro, the most popular Indonesian actor of the past few years. In 2007 he also had a moderate hit in Rako Prijanto’s D’Bijis, a title which is a pun on the Indonesian word for testicles and the name of the band Bee Gees.
The art house scene very limited. But in 2007, no less than three prestige films by internationally acclaimed directors found their way into theatres: Garin Nugroho’s masterwork Opera Jawa, Nan T Achnas’ The Photograph and Riri Riza’s 3 Hari untuk Selamanya (3 Days to Forever). Despite the presence of heartthrob Nicolas Saputra in Riri Riza’s film, none of the three made an impact at the box office.
But Riri Riza’s film won the 2007 Best Indonesian Film Award at the 9th Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFest), which took place last December. On the same day, Naga Bonar (Jadi) 2 swept the Citra Awards, the main national film awards. Last year, the latter awards were boycotted by producers who joined the MFI (Masyarakat Filem Indonesia or Indonesian Film Society). Those involved in MFI are currently asking for a new film law and are asking the Constitutional Court for a change in the censorship system.
There is in fact, a neat division in the Indonesian industry. On the one side are the big companies (MVP, Starvision, Rapi Films, MD Pictures, etc.), who already existed back in the days of the Suharto regime. When the Indonesian film industry collapsed in the 1990s, these companies recycled themselves with the production of sinetron (television), and came back in the movie business thanks to the profits made through television. Producers of Indian or Pakistani descent mostly own these companies, which are united in the BP2N (Badan Pertimbangan Perfilman Nasional or Special Advisory Board for Indonesian Film).
On the other side are the companies that began their activity after 1997, such as Miles Film, Kalyana Shira or Salto Film. These joined MFI, and are willingly try to bring something new into Indonesian filmmaking through “progressive” forms and content. By introducing Indonesian cinema to FEFF viewers with Quickie Express, FEFF has chosen to screen the best result of these progressive policies as applied to a commercial film.
Paolo Bertolin