Thomas A . C . Barker
Currently I am Head of the School of Media, Languages and Cultures at the University of Nottingham Malaysia and an Associate Professor of Film and Television. I teach modules in the fields of communications, media, film, television, and documentary.
My monograph "Indonesian Cinema after the New Order: Going Mainstream" was published by HKU Press https://hkupress.hku.hk/pro/1728.php
In 2019 I was an Asia Research Scholar at the National Library of Australia.
From February to June 2016 I was a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA. In 2015 I was a visiting researcher at the PUSKAKOM, the Communications Studies Centre, at Universitas Indonesia. In 2018 I was a Visiting Researcher at the College of Communication, National Cheng Chi University in Taiwan.
I am on the Advisory Board for Jurnal Komunikasi Indonesia (JKI) published by the Departemen Ilmu Komunikasi, Universities Indonesia and Jurnal Pemikiran Sosiologi published by the Departmenr of Sociology at Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. I have reviewed articles for Media Asia, Identities, and books for Rowman & Littlefield and Palgrave.
Prior to Malaysia, I was a Researcher with Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Queensland. In 2011 I was a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Sociology at the National University of Singapore where I taught The Sociology of Popular Culture.
My 2011 doctoral thesis titled "A Cultural Economy of the Contemporary Indonesian Film Industry" analyses the rebirth of the Indonesian film industry over the past decade and offers the first complete analysis of the Indonesian film industry as a cultural economy.
In 2002-2003 I studied in Indonesia at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and went on to complete an MPhil in Contemporary Critical Theory at the University of Birmingham in the UK.
I have also worked in the media as a radio announcer and made a number of short films, most of which can be viewed at www.vimeo.com/moths/
Supervisors: Prof. Chua Beng-Huat
Address: School of Media, Languages and Cultures
University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
Jalan Broga, Semenyih,
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia, 43500
My monograph "Indonesian Cinema after the New Order: Going Mainstream" was published by HKU Press https://hkupress.hku.hk/pro/1728.php
In 2019 I was an Asia Research Scholar at the National Library of Australia.
From February to June 2016 I was a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA. In 2015 I was a visiting researcher at the PUSKAKOM, the Communications Studies Centre, at Universitas Indonesia. In 2018 I was a Visiting Researcher at the College of Communication, National Cheng Chi University in Taiwan.
I am on the Advisory Board for Jurnal Komunikasi Indonesia (JKI) published by the Departemen Ilmu Komunikasi, Universities Indonesia and Jurnal Pemikiran Sosiologi published by the Departmenr of Sociology at Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. I have reviewed articles for Media Asia, Identities, and books for Rowman & Littlefield and Palgrave.
Prior to Malaysia, I was a Researcher with Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Queensland. In 2011 I was a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Sociology at the National University of Singapore where I taught The Sociology of Popular Culture.
My 2011 doctoral thesis titled "A Cultural Economy of the Contemporary Indonesian Film Industry" analyses the rebirth of the Indonesian film industry over the past decade and offers the first complete analysis of the Indonesian film industry as a cultural economy.
In 2002-2003 I studied in Indonesia at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and went on to complete an MPhil in Contemporary Critical Theory at the University of Birmingham in the UK.
I have also worked in the media as a radio announcer and made a number of short films, most of which can be viewed at www.vimeo.com/moths/
Supervisors: Prof. Chua Beng-Huat
Address: School of Media, Languages and Cultures
University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
Jalan Broga, Semenyih,
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia, 43500
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Books by Thomas A . C . Barker
In Indonesian Cinema after the New Order: Going Mainstream, Thomas Barker presents the first systematic and most comprehensive history of contemporary Indonesian cinema. The book focuses on a 20-year period of great upheaval from modest, indie beginnings, through mainstream appeal, to international recognition. More than a simple narrative, Barker contributes to cultural studies and sociological research by defining the three stages of an industry moving from state administration; through needing to succeed in local pop culture, specifically succeeding with Indonesian youth, to remain financially viable; until it finally realizes international recognition as an art form. This “going mainstream” paradigm reaches far beyond film history and forms a methodology for understanding the market in which all cultural industries operate, where the citizen-consumer (not the state) becomes sovereign.
Indonesia presents a particularly interesting case because “going mainstream” has increasingly meant catering to the demands of new Islamic piety movements. It has also meant working with a new Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, established in 2011. Rather than a simplified creative world many hoped for, Indonesian filmmaking now navigates a new complex of challenges different to those faced before 1998. Barker sees this industry as a microcosm of the entire country: democratic yet burdened by authoritarian legacies, creative yet culturally contested, international yet domestically shaped.
Kata pengantar:
a) Pengantar dari penyunting editor edisi Indonesia, Ekky Imanjaya
b) Pengantar dari Kordinator Program Film, Tito Imanda
Isi:
1. Dari Penyunting – Thomas Barker (National University of Singapore) dan Gaik Cheng Khoo (Australian National University)
2. Mempertanyakan Konsep ”Film Nasional” – Thomas Barker (National University of Singapore)
3. Membayangkan ‘Indonesia’: Produser Etnis Tionghoa dan Sinema pra-Kemerdekaan - Charlotte Setijadi-Dunn (La Trobe University) dan Thomas Barker (National University of Singapore)
4. Film-Film Indonesia Bertema Islam Dewasa Ini: Jualan Agama atau Islamisasi? – Eric Sasono (Kritikus Film, redaktur Rumahfilm.org)
5. Passing dan Naratif “Pindah Agama”: Ayat-Ayat Cinta dan Performativitas Muslim Indonesia Kontemporer - Intan Paramaditha (New York University)
6. Kemandang Kantata Takwa – Katinka Van Heeren (Leiden University)
7. Queer Indonesia dan Sentralitas Keluarga Heteronormatif – Maimunah (Universitas Airlangga)
8. Menyoroti Film-Film Edwin – Gaik Cheng Khoo (Australian National University)
9. Catatan dari Kursi Juri Festival Film Dokumenter: Wacana Film Dokumenter Independen Kontemporer - Budi Irawanto (National University of Singapore)
10. Hantu-Hantu dalam Film Horor Indonesia – Veronika Kusuma (Klub Kajian Film IKJ)
11. Tiga Film Pertama Joko Anwar: ebebasan Kreasi di Perfilman Indonesia Pasca-Soeharto – Nosa Normanda (BINUS INTERNATIONAL)
12. Senarai Publikasi Berbahasa Inggris Seputar Sinema Indonesia - Ekky Imanjaya (BINUS INTERNATIONAL)
13. Biografi Penulis
Meskipun rumah film adalah bioskop, kebermaknaannya tergandakan secara berarti dalam kajian film, dalam pengertiannya sebagai penjelasan dan pemeriksaan kritis atas berbagai wacana di dalam maupun di luar--tetapi terhubungkan dengan--film. Kajian film dalam buku ini merupakan langkah penting dalam sejarah film Indonesia, karena telah bebas dari dunia kerdil "kritik film"--yang hanya sibuk menghakimi sebuah film itu baik atau buruk--dengan perbincangan serba serius tetapi memikat, yang sangat diperlukan untuk mengimbangi perkembangan film Indonesia itu sendiri.(Seno Gumira Ajidarma, wartawan-budayawan)
Jika ingin mengetahui bagaimana kritik film harus ditulis, bacalah buku ini. Sebuah antologi yang dengan bagus sekali membahas konteks sosial-politik-kultural-ideologis film Indonesia kontemporer. (Putut Widjanarko, Produser Mizan Productions, Dekan Pascasarjana Ilmu Komunikasi Universitas Paramadina)
Keberagaman tema film tidak bisa diserahkan hanya pada pedagang,namun konsekuensi keberagaman film menuntut sistem tata edar yg memenuhi hak mayarakat penonton.Tumbuh dan hidupkan berbagai festival,pelihara sinematek agar bangsa ini tidak kehilangan sejarah peradabannya.Buku ini membantu utk mengetahui keberadaan film indonesia sekarang. Soal mau kemana film indonesia masih belum terjelaskan,tapi yg pasti sejarah tidak dimulai dari hari ini,dia sudah berjalan melalui orang-orang yang di depan kita (Deddy Mizwar, aktor dan sutradara film)
Para akademisi dan kritikus film punya pekerjaan rumah yang berbeda dari para pembuat film/ para pembuat kebijakan yang berkaitan dengan film. Untuk itu, mereka harus rela duduk di bangku 'panas' yang berseberangan dengan para pembuat film/kebijakan film. Tanpa mereka, perjalanan sinema sebuah negara akan semakin sulit terlacak di peta perfilman dunia.Tak ada keharusan bagi kita untuk setuju sepenuhnya dengan apa yang diungkapkan di dalam buku ini. Saya, sebagai salah satu pekerja film, juga tak menyetujui keseluruhan isian. Namun ini pula yang menjadikan buku ini sangat berharga, karena ia ditulis sebagai upaya menghidupkan kajian mengenai film Indonesia. Dan setiap sineas Indonesia pasca reformasi seharusnya paham, kajian tak akan hidup hanya lewat pujian atau cercaan. Karena kajian adalah hasil dari proses pergulatan yang mendalam. Meskipun, sekali lagi-kita tetap boleh untuk tidak selalu setuju. (Prima Rusdi, penulis skenario)
Di balik cahaya, gambar dan cerita yang kita saksikan di layar lebar itu, terus menerus politik kuasa dan pengetahuan dimainkan. Buku ini membantu kita untuk memahami apa yang telah berlangsung di dalam ruang produksi dan perlintasan sejarah yang dilalui oleh sebuah film, sebelum ia muncul dalam bentuk representasi budaya tertentu yang paripurna, dan siap untuk kita konsumsi. (Nuraini Juliastuti, KUNCI Cultural Studies Center)
Industri perfilman Indonesia sekarang ini sedang dalam masa yang sulit, terlihat dari jumlah penonton yang semakin menurun di tahun 2010. Dibutuhkan suatu kebangkitan bersama, supaya dapat merebut kembali kepercayaan kepada Film Indonesia. Buku ini dapat membangkitkan semangat tsb, sehingga filmaker Indonesia bisa tetap berkarya menghasilkan film yang berkualitas. Save Indonesian Film! (Sheila Timothy, Produser film, Lifelike Pictures)
Book Chapters by Thomas A . C . Barker
1. Creating within constraints: creative industries policy in Malaysia, Thomas Barker and LEE Yuen Beng Adrian
Papers by Thomas A . C . Barker
Described as a “satay western” in industry publication Variety, the film is a powerful feminist work set in the dry, sparse hills of Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara. After screening at Cannes Film Festival and as Indonesia’s entry for the Oscars, it represents Indonesian cinema’s rapid ascent to the world stage.
Marlina competed for best film against three other films – romantic drama film Aruna dan Lidahnya (Aruna and Her Palate) by Edwin (last year’s winner for best director), award-winning film Sekala Niskala (The Seen and Unseen) by Kamila Andini, and biopic Sultan Agung by Hanung Bramantyo.
Indonesia’s best films of the year are rarely the most popular films at the box office. This year’s two top films are romantic flick Dilan 1990 with 6.3 million viewers, followed by horror movie Suzzanna: Bernapas dalam Kubur with 3.2 million viewers.
Despite having no big audiences, the four Indonesian Film Festival nominations are indicative of broader changes occurring in the country’s film industry as it marks two decades since the end of the New Order regime.
Going global
Since the collapse of the New Order regime in May 1998, four Indonesian films have been featured at Cannes – arguably the world’s premier film festival. Edwin, the director of Aruna dan Lidahnya, became the third Indonesian to screen at Cannes with his short film Kara, Anak Sebatang Pohon (Kara, The Daughter of A Tree) in 2005, after senior auteur Garin Nugroho with Daun di Atas Bantal (Leaf on A Pillow) in 1998 and Serambi in 2006, and Eros Djarot with epic film Tjoet Nja’ Dhien in 1989.
In 2016, Wregas Bhanuteja’s short Prenjak (In The Year of the Monkey) won one of Cannes’s top awards, Leica Cine Discovery Prize.
Recognition at Cannes is a symbolic marker of the rise of a new generation of Indonesian filmmakers and the strength of their talent, innovation and hard work. Other film festivals have also become regular stops for Indonesian filmmakers every year now. Sekala Niskala won awards at festivals in Berlin, Germany; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Adelaide, Australia.
Marlina and Aruna also mark the growing transnational collaborations that are bringing Indonesian cinema to markets outside Indonesia.
Marlina was a multinational co-production that included AstroShaw (Malaysia), HOOQ (Singapore), Purin Pictures (Thailand) and Shasha & Co Production (France).
Aruna is the sixth title co-produced by South Korea’s CJ Entertainment. Its first foray into Indonesian cinema came by way of a US$10,000 production grant for Joko Anwar’s 2015 film A Copy of My Mind, followed by horror hit Pengabdi Setan (Satan’s Slaves) in 2017. CJ co-produced Pengabdi Setan with local production house Rapi Film. Through the partnership, Pengabdi Setan has been distributed to 40 territories worldwide.
CJ also invested in exhibition when its subsidiary CGV purchased Indonesia’s second major cinema operator, BlitzMegaplex, in 2015.
More and more foreign investors are seeing Indonesia as the next big market. This progress can in part be traced back to the international success of action film The Raid released in 2011. Its main stars, Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian, have been picked up for multiple roles including a cameo in Hollywood box-office hit Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The big American giants are increasingly looking to Indonesia not just as a location but as a source of stories and talent.
Action film Wiro Sableng 212 was Fox International’s first feature film in Southeast Asia.
Directors Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel, known as Mo Brothers, created Headshot for Netflix in 2016, followed by another Timo film, The Night Comes for Us, in 2018.
Rich Indonesian flavours
All four films enrich Indonesia’s sense of nationhood by exploring questions of culture and history.
In Sekala Niskala, Kamila Andini follows the legacy of her father, Garin Nugroho, in creating a richly ethnographic image of Balinese culture that speaks to the nation’s diversity.
Aruna celebrates Indonesia’s rich culinary traditions based on author Laksmi Pamuntjak’s exploration of Indonesian food and cooking.
As with Sultan Agung, director Hanung Bramantyo has turned to historical epics as a source of stories that also ruminate on Indonesian history. His next major project is an adaptation of Bumi Manusia, based on the book by Indonesia’s great writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer. The movie is set to be the big story of 2019.
Marlina, Sekala Niskala and Sultan Agung are all made outside the film-making centre of the capital Jakarta. In particular, Yogyakarta is fast becoming a second centre with many filmmakers choosing to live or shoot in the city. Hanung, a native of the city, now often works there and Kamila Andini teaches at the new Jogja Film Academy.
Reducing production costs and avoiding traffic jams might be prime motivations, but working in Yogyakarta also gives filmmakers space to think and create stories that reimagine a different version of Indonesia.
The city has become a set for commercial features such as horror film Keramat (Sacred) and festival hit Siti.
A notable group of filmmakers that includes Yosep Anggi Noen (Istirahatlah Kata-Kata), Ismail Basbeth (The Carousel Never Stops Turning), Ifa Isfansyah (Sang Penari – The Dancer) and Garin now operate out of Yogyakarta.
Girl power
Indonesia’s film industry is leading when it comes to women making a profound impact as lead figures and vocal proponents of reform.
Director Mira Lesmana, producer Shanty Harmayn, musician Melly Goeslaw, script writer Prima Rusdi and others were leading figures in the Indonesian film society movement. They protested the 2006 Indonesian Film Festival when it awarded best film to Ekskul (Nayato Fio Nuala) because the film plagiarised music. They also challenged the constitutionality of the Censorship Board in court to force legal and institutional reform.
In her acceptance speech after winning best director, Mouly Surya urged: “All the women here who dream of becoming a film director, you can do it.” Alongside Mouly Surya and Kamila Andini, many female directors such as Upi (My Stupid Boss), Viva Westi (Jendral Soedirman) and Nia Dinata (Ini Kisah Tiga Dara) already have prominent roles as directors and scriptwriters.
The stories behind the Indonesian Film Festival tell us a lot about the profound changes and developments in Indonesian cinema over the past two decades.
More local audiences are watching local films, bringing total admissions in 2017 to 42.7 million. That’s more than double the annual figure from three years prior.
Indonesian film production is vibrant, with more than 100 titles released every year. Most importantly, Indonesian films are of a quality that rivals the best in the world. 2019 will therefore be a year to watch in Indonesian cinema.
[Marlina Si Pembunuh dalam Empak Babak], berlokasi di perbukitan yang kering dan luas di Sumba, Nusa Tenggara Timur, adalah film yang kental dengan pesan-pesan feminis yang kuat. Film ini juga disebut telah menciptakan genre baru yang disebut satay western oleh majalah Variety. Setelah pemutaran di Festival Film Cannes di Perancis dan dipilih sebagai perwakilan Indonesia dalam ajang Oscars, film ini mewakili sepak terjang film Indonesia menguasai panggung dunia.
Marlina bersaing dengan tiga film lainnya untuk kategori film terbaik–film drama percintaan Aruna dan Lidahnya yang disutradarai oleh Edwin yang merupakan pemenang sutradara terbaik di FFI tahun lalu, film Sekala Niskala yang disutradarai oleh Kamila Andini, dan film biopik Sultan Agung oleh sutradara Hanung Bramantyo.
Film-film terbaik Indonesia biasanya tidak begitu populer di pasaran. Tahun ini, dua film paling populer adalah film percintaan remaja Dilan 1990 yang ditonton sekitar 6,3 juta orang, lalu diikuti oleh film horor Suzzanna: Bernapas dalam Kubur dengan 3,2 juta penonton. Meskipun tidak menarik penonton dalam jumlah besar, empat nominasi film terbaik merupakan indikator perubahan besar yang terjadi pada industri film Indonesia karena keempat nominasi ini hadir tepat dua dekade setelah runtuhnya rezim Orde Baru.
Menuju pasar global
Semenjak runtuhnya rezim Orde Baru pada Mei 1998, empat film Indonesia telah diputar di Cannes, yang dianggap sebagai festival film terbaik sedunia. Edwin, sutradara Aruna dan Lidahnya, adalah sutradara Indonesia ketiga yang filmnya diputar di Cannes. Film pendeknya Kara, Anak Sebatang Pohon diputar di Cannes pada 2005. Edwin muncul di Cannes setelah sutradara senior Garin Nugroho hadir di sana dengan dua filmnya Daun di Atas Bantal pada 1998 dan Serambi pada 2006, dan sutradara veteran Eros Djarot dengan film Tjoet Nja’ Dhien pada 1989.
Pada tahun 2016, film pendek karya sutradara muda Wregas Bhanuteja yang berjudul Prenjak memenangkan salah satu penghargaan bergengsi di Cannes yaitu Leica Cine Discovery Prize.
Kemunculan sutradara-sutradara Indonesia di Cannes adalah sebuah tanda simbolik munculnya generasi baru sutradara film Indonesia yang menunjukkan kekuatan talenta, inovasi, dan kerja keras mereka. Festival film internasional lainnya juga menjadi ajang bagi para sutradara Indonesia lainnya untuk mempertontonkan karyanya. Sekala Niskala telah memenangkan berbagai penghargaan di berbagai festival film internasional seperti di Berlin, Jerman; Buenos Aires, Argentina dan Adelaide, Australia.
Baik Marlina and Aruna juga menandai tumbuhnya bentuk kolaborasi antarnegara yang bertujuan memasarkan film Indonesia ke luar negeri.
Marlina adalah film yang diproduksi melibatkan banyak negara termasuk AstroShaw (Malaysia), HOOQ (Singapore), Purin Pictures (Thailand) dan Shasha & Co Production (France).
Sementara itu, Aruna adalah film keenam yang diproduksi oleh perusahaan Korea Selatan CJ Entertainment. Investasi tahap pertama CJ Entertainment di industri film nasional muncul dalam bentuk hibah sebesar US$10.000 (Rp146 juta) yang diberikan kepada Joko Anwar untuk memproduksi A Copy of My Mind pada 2015. Lalu pada 2017 film horor Pengabdi Setan diproduksi oleh CJ bekerja sama dengan rumah produksi lokal Rapi Film. Melalui kerja sama tersebut, Pengabdi Setan yang tergolong sukses telah didistribusikan ke 40 negara.
CJ juga berinvestasi pada tempat pemutaran film di Indonesia ketika anak perusahaannya CGV membeli Blitz Megaplex, yang merupakan operator bioskop terbesar kedua di Indonesia pada tahun 2015.
Semakin banyak investor asing melihat Indonesia sebagai pasar baru industri film. Jika dirunut, perkembangan berawal dari suksesnya film laga yang dirilis tahun 2011 The Raid di pasar internasional. Pemain utama film tersebut Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim dan Yayan Ruhian telah melebarkan sayapnya ke Hollywood dan mendapatkan peran pendukung dalam beberapa film termasuk film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Perusahaan film Amerika juga semakin tertarik melihat Indonesia bukan hanya sebagai tempat lokasi pengambilan gambar untuk film tapi juga sebagai sumber ide cerita dan talenta yang berbakat.
Film laga Wiro Sableng 212 adalah film panjang pertama di Asia Tenggara yang diproduksi oleh Fox International.
Sutradara Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel, yang dikenal sebagai Mo Brothers, memproduksi Headshot untuk Netflix pada 2016, dilanjutkan dengan film lainnya The Night Comes for Us yang disutradarai oleh Timo pada 2018.
Kaya cita rasa Indonesia
Keempat nominasi film terbaik FFI 2018 memperkaya rasa kebangsaan Indonesia lewat eksplorasi berbagai pertanyaan mengenai budaya dan sejarah Indonesia.
Di Sekala Niskala, Kamila Andini mengikuti jejak ayahnya, Garin Nugroho, dalam menciptakan citra etnografis budaya Bali yang kaya yang menggambarkan keberagaman bangsa. Aruna merayakan kayanya budaya kuliner Indonesia berdasarkan ekplorasi penulis Laksmi Pamuntjak di novelnya yang diadaptasi untuk film ini.
Sedangkan untuk Sultan Agung, Hanung beralih pada kisah sejarah sebagai ide cerita yang juga membuat kita berpikir tentang sejarah Indonesia. Film Hanung selanjutnya adalah adaptasi dari novel Bumi Manusia yang ditulis oleh penulis legendaris Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Film ini akan menjadi cerita besar pada tahun 2019.
Marlina, Sekala Niskala dan Sultan Agung semuanya dibuat di luar Jakarta, yang dikenal sebagai pusatnya pembuatan film. Yogyakarta telah menjadi pusat pembuatan film kedua dengan banyaknya pembuat film yang memilih untuk tinggal di kota tersebut ataupun mengambil gambar di sana. Hanung, yang berasal dari Yogyakarta, sering kali bekerja di sana sementara Kamila Andini mengajar di Jogja Film Academy, sekolah tinggi perfilman di Yogyakarta.
Alasan utama bekerja dari Yogyakarta adalah mungkin karena alasan untuk mengurangi ongkos produksi dan juga menghindari kemacetan. Tapi bekerja di Yogyakarta juga memberikan ruang bagi pembuat film untuk berpikir dan sekaligus menciptakan cerita yang memberikan imajinasi yang berbeda tentang Indonesia.
Kota Yogyakarta telah menjadi tempat pembuatan film seperti film horor Keramat dan Siti, film yang sukses di berbagai festival film internasional.
Jajaran sutradara ternama seperti Yosep Anggi Noen (Istirahatlah Kata-Kata), Ismail Basbeth (Mobil Bekas dan Kisah-Kisah dalam Putaran), Ifa Isfansyah (Sang Penari) dan Garin sekarang bekerja dari Yogyakarta.
Kekuatan perempuan
Industri film Indonesia sangat maju dari sisi peran perempuan pembuat film memimpin gerakan yang menuntut perubahan secara vokal.
Sutradara Mira Lesmana, produser Shanty Harmayn, musikus Melly Goeslaw, penulis naskah Prima Rusdi dan lainnya adalah figur-figur kunci dalam pergerakan Masyarakat Film Indonesia. Organisasi tersebut didirikan sebagai respons atas kegelisahan yang terjadi pada industri film Indonesia. Mereka mengajukan protes atas hasil panitia FFI 2006 yang memberikan penghargaan film terbaik pada Ekskul (Nayato Fio Nuala) meskipun film tersebut memplagiat musik yang digunakan di film tersebut. Kelompok ini juga memperkarakan kelegalan badan sensor di pengadilan untuk mewujudkan reformasi kelembagaan badan sensor nasional.
Dalam pidato yang disampaikan oleh Mouly setelah mendapatkan piala sebagai sutradara terbaik, dia mendorong agar “Semua cewek-cewek yang ada di sini yang pengin jadi sutradara film, pasti kamu bisa.” Selain Mouly dan Kamila, banyak sutradara perempuan lainnya seperti Upi (My Stupid Boss), Viva Westi (Jendral Soedirman), dan Nia Dinata (Ini Kisah Tiga Dara) yang sudah memiliki peran penting sebagai sutradara dan penulis naskah di industri film Indonesia.
Cerita di balik penghargaan FFI menunjukkan bahwa begitu banyak perubahan dan perkembangan di industri film Indonesia selama dua dekade.
Semakin banyak penonton lokal yang menonton film lokal. Jumlah penonton bioskop Indonesia mencapai 42,7 juta pada 2017, atau lebih dari dua kali dari jumlah penonton tahunan dari tiga tahun sebelumnya.
Produksi film Indonesia sangat hidup dengan lebih dari 100 judul diproduksi setiap tahunnya. Yang paling terpenting, kualitas film Indonesia sudah mampu menyaingi kualitas film-film terbaik di tingkat dunia. Tahun 2019 akan menjadi tahun menarik untuk disimak bagi industri perfilman Indonesia.
Barker, T. and Y. B. Lee. 2017. Making creative industries policy: The Malaysian case. Kajian Malaysia 35(2): 21–37. https://doi.org/10.21315/km2017.35.2.2
Chinese soft power is not measured by blockbuster films, but by the appeal of its development model.
https://thediplomat.com/2017/11/the-real-source-of-chinas-soft-power/
In Indonesian Cinema after the New Order: Going Mainstream, Thomas Barker presents the first systematic and most comprehensive history of contemporary Indonesian cinema. The book focuses on a 20-year period of great upheaval from modest, indie beginnings, through mainstream appeal, to international recognition. More than a simple narrative, Barker contributes to cultural studies and sociological research by defining the three stages of an industry moving from state administration; through needing to succeed in local pop culture, specifically succeeding with Indonesian youth, to remain financially viable; until it finally realizes international recognition as an art form. This “going mainstream” paradigm reaches far beyond film history and forms a methodology for understanding the market in which all cultural industries operate, where the citizen-consumer (not the state) becomes sovereign.
Indonesia presents a particularly interesting case because “going mainstream” has increasingly meant catering to the demands of new Islamic piety movements. It has also meant working with a new Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, established in 2011. Rather than a simplified creative world many hoped for, Indonesian filmmaking now navigates a new complex of challenges different to those faced before 1998. Barker sees this industry as a microcosm of the entire country: democratic yet burdened by authoritarian legacies, creative yet culturally contested, international yet domestically shaped.
Kata pengantar:
a) Pengantar dari penyunting editor edisi Indonesia, Ekky Imanjaya
b) Pengantar dari Kordinator Program Film, Tito Imanda
Isi:
1. Dari Penyunting – Thomas Barker (National University of Singapore) dan Gaik Cheng Khoo (Australian National University)
2. Mempertanyakan Konsep ”Film Nasional” – Thomas Barker (National University of Singapore)
3. Membayangkan ‘Indonesia’: Produser Etnis Tionghoa dan Sinema pra-Kemerdekaan - Charlotte Setijadi-Dunn (La Trobe University) dan Thomas Barker (National University of Singapore)
4. Film-Film Indonesia Bertema Islam Dewasa Ini: Jualan Agama atau Islamisasi? – Eric Sasono (Kritikus Film, redaktur Rumahfilm.org)
5. Passing dan Naratif “Pindah Agama”: Ayat-Ayat Cinta dan Performativitas Muslim Indonesia Kontemporer - Intan Paramaditha (New York University)
6. Kemandang Kantata Takwa – Katinka Van Heeren (Leiden University)
7. Queer Indonesia dan Sentralitas Keluarga Heteronormatif – Maimunah (Universitas Airlangga)
8. Menyoroti Film-Film Edwin – Gaik Cheng Khoo (Australian National University)
9. Catatan dari Kursi Juri Festival Film Dokumenter: Wacana Film Dokumenter Independen Kontemporer - Budi Irawanto (National University of Singapore)
10. Hantu-Hantu dalam Film Horor Indonesia – Veronika Kusuma (Klub Kajian Film IKJ)
11. Tiga Film Pertama Joko Anwar: ebebasan Kreasi di Perfilman Indonesia Pasca-Soeharto – Nosa Normanda (BINUS INTERNATIONAL)
12. Senarai Publikasi Berbahasa Inggris Seputar Sinema Indonesia - Ekky Imanjaya (BINUS INTERNATIONAL)
13. Biografi Penulis
Meskipun rumah film adalah bioskop, kebermaknaannya tergandakan secara berarti dalam kajian film, dalam pengertiannya sebagai penjelasan dan pemeriksaan kritis atas berbagai wacana di dalam maupun di luar--tetapi terhubungkan dengan--film. Kajian film dalam buku ini merupakan langkah penting dalam sejarah film Indonesia, karena telah bebas dari dunia kerdil "kritik film"--yang hanya sibuk menghakimi sebuah film itu baik atau buruk--dengan perbincangan serba serius tetapi memikat, yang sangat diperlukan untuk mengimbangi perkembangan film Indonesia itu sendiri.(Seno Gumira Ajidarma, wartawan-budayawan)
Jika ingin mengetahui bagaimana kritik film harus ditulis, bacalah buku ini. Sebuah antologi yang dengan bagus sekali membahas konteks sosial-politik-kultural-ideologis film Indonesia kontemporer. (Putut Widjanarko, Produser Mizan Productions, Dekan Pascasarjana Ilmu Komunikasi Universitas Paramadina)
Keberagaman tema film tidak bisa diserahkan hanya pada pedagang,namun konsekuensi keberagaman film menuntut sistem tata edar yg memenuhi hak mayarakat penonton.Tumbuh dan hidupkan berbagai festival,pelihara sinematek agar bangsa ini tidak kehilangan sejarah peradabannya.Buku ini membantu utk mengetahui keberadaan film indonesia sekarang. Soal mau kemana film indonesia masih belum terjelaskan,tapi yg pasti sejarah tidak dimulai dari hari ini,dia sudah berjalan melalui orang-orang yang di depan kita (Deddy Mizwar, aktor dan sutradara film)
Para akademisi dan kritikus film punya pekerjaan rumah yang berbeda dari para pembuat film/ para pembuat kebijakan yang berkaitan dengan film. Untuk itu, mereka harus rela duduk di bangku 'panas' yang berseberangan dengan para pembuat film/kebijakan film. Tanpa mereka, perjalanan sinema sebuah negara akan semakin sulit terlacak di peta perfilman dunia.Tak ada keharusan bagi kita untuk setuju sepenuhnya dengan apa yang diungkapkan di dalam buku ini. Saya, sebagai salah satu pekerja film, juga tak menyetujui keseluruhan isian. Namun ini pula yang menjadikan buku ini sangat berharga, karena ia ditulis sebagai upaya menghidupkan kajian mengenai film Indonesia. Dan setiap sineas Indonesia pasca reformasi seharusnya paham, kajian tak akan hidup hanya lewat pujian atau cercaan. Karena kajian adalah hasil dari proses pergulatan yang mendalam. Meskipun, sekali lagi-kita tetap boleh untuk tidak selalu setuju. (Prima Rusdi, penulis skenario)
Di balik cahaya, gambar dan cerita yang kita saksikan di layar lebar itu, terus menerus politik kuasa dan pengetahuan dimainkan. Buku ini membantu kita untuk memahami apa yang telah berlangsung di dalam ruang produksi dan perlintasan sejarah yang dilalui oleh sebuah film, sebelum ia muncul dalam bentuk representasi budaya tertentu yang paripurna, dan siap untuk kita konsumsi. (Nuraini Juliastuti, KUNCI Cultural Studies Center)
Industri perfilman Indonesia sekarang ini sedang dalam masa yang sulit, terlihat dari jumlah penonton yang semakin menurun di tahun 2010. Dibutuhkan suatu kebangkitan bersama, supaya dapat merebut kembali kepercayaan kepada Film Indonesia. Buku ini dapat membangkitkan semangat tsb, sehingga filmaker Indonesia bisa tetap berkarya menghasilkan film yang berkualitas. Save Indonesian Film! (Sheila Timothy, Produser film, Lifelike Pictures)
1. Creating within constraints: creative industries policy in Malaysia, Thomas Barker and LEE Yuen Beng Adrian
Described as a “satay western” in industry publication Variety, the film is a powerful feminist work set in the dry, sparse hills of Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara. After screening at Cannes Film Festival and as Indonesia’s entry for the Oscars, it represents Indonesian cinema’s rapid ascent to the world stage.
Marlina competed for best film against three other films – romantic drama film Aruna dan Lidahnya (Aruna and Her Palate) by Edwin (last year’s winner for best director), award-winning film Sekala Niskala (The Seen and Unseen) by Kamila Andini, and biopic Sultan Agung by Hanung Bramantyo.
Indonesia’s best films of the year are rarely the most popular films at the box office. This year’s two top films are romantic flick Dilan 1990 with 6.3 million viewers, followed by horror movie Suzzanna: Bernapas dalam Kubur with 3.2 million viewers.
Despite having no big audiences, the four Indonesian Film Festival nominations are indicative of broader changes occurring in the country’s film industry as it marks two decades since the end of the New Order regime.
Going global
Since the collapse of the New Order regime in May 1998, four Indonesian films have been featured at Cannes – arguably the world’s premier film festival. Edwin, the director of Aruna dan Lidahnya, became the third Indonesian to screen at Cannes with his short film Kara, Anak Sebatang Pohon (Kara, The Daughter of A Tree) in 2005, after senior auteur Garin Nugroho with Daun di Atas Bantal (Leaf on A Pillow) in 1998 and Serambi in 2006, and Eros Djarot with epic film Tjoet Nja’ Dhien in 1989.
In 2016, Wregas Bhanuteja’s short Prenjak (In The Year of the Monkey) won one of Cannes’s top awards, Leica Cine Discovery Prize.
Recognition at Cannes is a symbolic marker of the rise of a new generation of Indonesian filmmakers and the strength of their talent, innovation and hard work. Other film festivals have also become regular stops for Indonesian filmmakers every year now. Sekala Niskala won awards at festivals in Berlin, Germany; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Adelaide, Australia.
Marlina and Aruna also mark the growing transnational collaborations that are bringing Indonesian cinema to markets outside Indonesia.
Marlina was a multinational co-production that included AstroShaw (Malaysia), HOOQ (Singapore), Purin Pictures (Thailand) and Shasha & Co Production (France).
Aruna is the sixth title co-produced by South Korea’s CJ Entertainment. Its first foray into Indonesian cinema came by way of a US$10,000 production grant for Joko Anwar’s 2015 film A Copy of My Mind, followed by horror hit Pengabdi Setan (Satan’s Slaves) in 2017. CJ co-produced Pengabdi Setan with local production house Rapi Film. Through the partnership, Pengabdi Setan has been distributed to 40 territories worldwide.
CJ also invested in exhibition when its subsidiary CGV purchased Indonesia’s second major cinema operator, BlitzMegaplex, in 2015.
More and more foreign investors are seeing Indonesia as the next big market. This progress can in part be traced back to the international success of action film The Raid released in 2011. Its main stars, Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian, have been picked up for multiple roles including a cameo in Hollywood box-office hit Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The big American giants are increasingly looking to Indonesia not just as a location but as a source of stories and talent.
Action film Wiro Sableng 212 was Fox International’s first feature film in Southeast Asia.
Directors Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel, known as Mo Brothers, created Headshot for Netflix in 2016, followed by another Timo film, The Night Comes for Us, in 2018.
Rich Indonesian flavours
All four films enrich Indonesia’s sense of nationhood by exploring questions of culture and history.
In Sekala Niskala, Kamila Andini follows the legacy of her father, Garin Nugroho, in creating a richly ethnographic image of Balinese culture that speaks to the nation’s diversity.
Aruna celebrates Indonesia’s rich culinary traditions based on author Laksmi Pamuntjak’s exploration of Indonesian food and cooking.
As with Sultan Agung, director Hanung Bramantyo has turned to historical epics as a source of stories that also ruminate on Indonesian history. His next major project is an adaptation of Bumi Manusia, based on the book by Indonesia’s great writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer. The movie is set to be the big story of 2019.
Marlina, Sekala Niskala and Sultan Agung are all made outside the film-making centre of the capital Jakarta. In particular, Yogyakarta is fast becoming a second centre with many filmmakers choosing to live or shoot in the city. Hanung, a native of the city, now often works there and Kamila Andini teaches at the new Jogja Film Academy.
Reducing production costs and avoiding traffic jams might be prime motivations, but working in Yogyakarta also gives filmmakers space to think and create stories that reimagine a different version of Indonesia.
The city has become a set for commercial features such as horror film Keramat (Sacred) and festival hit Siti.
A notable group of filmmakers that includes Yosep Anggi Noen (Istirahatlah Kata-Kata), Ismail Basbeth (The Carousel Never Stops Turning), Ifa Isfansyah (Sang Penari – The Dancer) and Garin now operate out of Yogyakarta.
Girl power
Indonesia’s film industry is leading when it comes to women making a profound impact as lead figures and vocal proponents of reform.
Director Mira Lesmana, producer Shanty Harmayn, musician Melly Goeslaw, script writer Prima Rusdi and others were leading figures in the Indonesian film society movement. They protested the 2006 Indonesian Film Festival when it awarded best film to Ekskul (Nayato Fio Nuala) because the film plagiarised music. They also challenged the constitutionality of the Censorship Board in court to force legal and institutional reform.
In her acceptance speech after winning best director, Mouly Surya urged: “All the women here who dream of becoming a film director, you can do it.” Alongside Mouly Surya and Kamila Andini, many female directors such as Upi (My Stupid Boss), Viva Westi (Jendral Soedirman) and Nia Dinata (Ini Kisah Tiga Dara) already have prominent roles as directors and scriptwriters.
The stories behind the Indonesian Film Festival tell us a lot about the profound changes and developments in Indonesian cinema over the past two decades.
More local audiences are watching local films, bringing total admissions in 2017 to 42.7 million. That’s more than double the annual figure from three years prior.
Indonesian film production is vibrant, with more than 100 titles released every year. Most importantly, Indonesian films are of a quality that rivals the best in the world. 2019 will therefore be a year to watch in Indonesian cinema.
[Marlina Si Pembunuh dalam Empak Babak], berlokasi di perbukitan yang kering dan luas di Sumba, Nusa Tenggara Timur, adalah film yang kental dengan pesan-pesan feminis yang kuat. Film ini juga disebut telah menciptakan genre baru yang disebut satay western oleh majalah Variety. Setelah pemutaran di Festival Film Cannes di Perancis dan dipilih sebagai perwakilan Indonesia dalam ajang Oscars, film ini mewakili sepak terjang film Indonesia menguasai panggung dunia.
Marlina bersaing dengan tiga film lainnya untuk kategori film terbaik–film drama percintaan Aruna dan Lidahnya yang disutradarai oleh Edwin yang merupakan pemenang sutradara terbaik di FFI tahun lalu, film Sekala Niskala yang disutradarai oleh Kamila Andini, dan film biopik Sultan Agung oleh sutradara Hanung Bramantyo.
Film-film terbaik Indonesia biasanya tidak begitu populer di pasaran. Tahun ini, dua film paling populer adalah film percintaan remaja Dilan 1990 yang ditonton sekitar 6,3 juta orang, lalu diikuti oleh film horor Suzzanna: Bernapas dalam Kubur dengan 3,2 juta penonton. Meskipun tidak menarik penonton dalam jumlah besar, empat nominasi film terbaik merupakan indikator perubahan besar yang terjadi pada industri film Indonesia karena keempat nominasi ini hadir tepat dua dekade setelah runtuhnya rezim Orde Baru.
Menuju pasar global
Semenjak runtuhnya rezim Orde Baru pada Mei 1998, empat film Indonesia telah diputar di Cannes, yang dianggap sebagai festival film terbaik sedunia. Edwin, sutradara Aruna dan Lidahnya, adalah sutradara Indonesia ketiga yang filmnya diputar di Cannes. Film pendeknya Kara, Anak Sebatang Pohon diputar di Cannes pada 2005. Edwin muncul di Cannes setelah sutradara senior Garin Nugroho hadir di sana dengan dua filmnya Daun di Atas Bantal pada 1998 dan Serambi pada 2006, dan sutradara veteran Eros Djarot dengan film Tjoet Nja’ Dhien pada 1989.
Pada tahun 2016, film pendek karya sutradara muda Wregas Bhanuteja yang berjudul Prenjak memenangkan salah satu penghargaan bergengsi di Cannes yaitu Leica Cine Discovery Prize.
Kemunculan sutradara-sutradara Indonesia di Cannes adalah sebuah tanda simbolik munculnya generasi baru sutradara film Indonesia yang menunjukkan kekuatan talenta, inovasi, dan kerja keras mereka. Festival film internasional lainnya juga menjadi ajang bagi para sutradara Indonesia lainnya untuk mempertontonkan karyanya. Sekala Niskala telah memenangkan berbagai penghargaan di berbagai festival film internasional seperti di Berlin, Jerman; Buenos Aires, Argentina dan Adelaide, Australia.
Baik Marlina and Aruna juga menandai tumbuhnya bentuk kolaborasi antarnegara yang bertujuan memasarkan film Indonesia ke luar negeri.
Marlina adalah film yang diproduksi melibatkan banyak negara termasuk AstroShaw (Malaysia), HOOQ (Singapore), Purin Pictures (Thailand) dan Shasha & Co Production (France).
Sementara itu, Aruna adalah film keenam yang diproduksi oleh perusahaan Korea Selatan CJ Entertainment. Investasi tahap pertama CJ Entertainment di industri film nasional muncul dalam bentuk hibah sebesar US$10.000 (Rp146 juta) yang diberikan kepada Joko Anwar untuk memproduksi A Copy of My Mind pada 2015. Lalu pada 2017 film horor Pengabdi Setan diproduksi oleh CJ bekerja sama dengan rumah produksi lokal Rapi Film. Melalui kerja sama tersebut, Pengabdi Setan yang tergolong sukses telah didistribusikan ke 40 negara.
CJ juga berinvestasi pada tempat pemutaran film di Indonesia ketika anak perusahaannya CGV membeli Blitz Megaplex, yang merupakan operator bioskop terbesar kedua di Indonesia pada tahun 2015.
Semakin banyak investor asing melihat Indonesia sebagai pasar baru industri film. Jika dirunut, perkembangan berawal dari suksesnya film laga yang dirilis tahun 2011 The Raid di pasar internasional. Pemain utama film tersebut Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim dan Yayan Ruhian telah melebarkan sayapnya ke Hollywood dan mendapatkan peran pendukung dalam beberapa film termasuk film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Perusahaan film Amerika juga semakin tertarik melihat Indonesia bukan hanya sebagai tempat lokasi pengambilan gambar untuk film tapi juga sebagai sumber ide cerita dan talenta yang berbakat.
Film laga Wiro Sableng 212 adalah film panjang pertama di Asia Tenggara yang diproduksi oleh Fox International.
Sutradara Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel, yang dikenal sebagai Mo Brothers, memproduksi Headshot untuk Netflix pada 2016, dilanjutkan dengan film lainnya The Night Comes for Us yang disutradarai oleh Timo pada 2018.
Kaya cita rasa Indonesia
Keempat nominasi film terbaik FFI 2018 memperkaya rasa kebangsaan Indonesia lewat eksplorasi berbagai pertanyaan mengenai budaya dan sejarah Indonesia.
Di Sekala Niskala, Kamila Andini mengikuti jejak ayahnya, Garin Nugroho, dalam menciptakan citra etnografis budaya Bali yang kaya yang menggambarkan keberagaman bangsa. Aruna merayakan kayanya budaya kuliner Indonesia berdasarkan ekplorasi penulis Laksmi Pamuntjak di novelnya yang diadaptasi untuk film ini.
Sedangkan untuk Sultan Agung, Hanung beralih pada kisah sejarah sebagai ide cerita yang juga membuat kita berpikir tentang sejarah Indonesia. Film Hanung selanjutnya adalah adaptasi dari novel Bumi Manusia yang ditulis oleh penulis legendaris Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Film ini akan menjadi cerita besar pada tahun 2019.
Marlina, Sekala Niskala dan Sultan Agung semuanya dibuat di luar Jakarta, yang dikenal sebagai pusatnya pembuatan film. Yogyakarta telah menjadi pusat pembuatan film kedua dengan banyaknya pembuat film yang memilih untuk tinggal di kota tersebut ataupun mengambil gambar di sana. Hanung, yang berasal dari Yogyakarta, sering kali bekerja di sana sementara Kamila Andini mengajar di Jogja Film Academy, sekolah tinggi perfilman di Yogyakarta.
Alasan utama bekerja dari Yogyakarta adalah mungkin karena alasan untuk mengurangi ongkos produksi dan juga menghindari kemacetan. Tapi bekerja di Yogyakarta juga memberikan ruang bagi pembuat film untuk berpikir dan sekaligus menciptakan cerita yang memberikan imajinasi yang berbeda tentang Indonesia.
Kota Yogyakarta telah menjadi tempat pembuatan film seperti film horor Keramat dan Siti, film yang sukses di berbagai festival film internasional.
Jajaran sutradara ternama seperti Yosep Anggi Noen (Istirahatlah Kata-Kata), Ismail Basbeth (Mobil Bekas dan Kisah-Kisah dalam Putaran), Ifa Isfansyah (Sang Penari) dan Garin sekarang bekerja dari Yogyakarta.
Kekuatan perempuan
Industri film Indonesia sangat maju dari sisi peran perempuan pembuat film memimpin gerakan yang menuntut perubahan secara vokal.
Sutradara Mira Lesmana, produser Shanty Harmayn, musikus Melly Goeslaw, penulis naskah Prima Rusdi dan lainnya adalah figur-figur kunci dalam pergerakan Masyarakat Film Indonesia. Organisasi tersebut didirikan sebagai respons atas kegelisahan yang terjadi pada industri film Indonesia. Mereka mengajukan protes atas hasil panitia FFI 2006 yang memberikan penghargaan film terbaik pada Ekskul (Nayato Fio Nuala) meskipun film tersebut memplagiat musik yang digunakan di film tersebut. Kelompok ini juga memperkarakan kelegalan badan sensor di pengadilan untuk mewujudkan reformasi kelembagaan badan sensor nasional.
Dalam pidato yang disampaikan oleh Mouly setelah mendapatkan piala sebagai sutradara terbaik, dia mendorong agar “Semua cewek-cewek yang ada di sini yang pengin jadi sutradara film, pasti kamu bisa.” Selain Mouly dan Kamila, banyak sutradara perempuan lainnya seperti Upi (My Stupid Boss), Viva Westi (Jendral Soedirman), dan Nia Dinata (Ini Kisah Tiga Dara) yang sudah memiliki peran penting sebagai sutradara dan penulis naskah di industri film Indonesia.
Cerita di balik penghargaan FFI menunjukkan bahwa begitu banyak perubahan dan perkembangan di industri film Indonesia selama dua dekade.
Semakin banyak penonton lokal yang menonton film lokal. Jumlah penonton bioskop Indonesia mencapai 42,7 juta pada 2017, atau lebih dari dua kali dari jumlah penonton tahunan dari tiga tahun sebelumnya.
Produksi film Indonesia sangat hidup dengan lebih dari 100 judul diproduksi setiap tahunnya. Yang paling terpenting, kualitas film Indonesia sudah mampu menyaingi kualitas film-film terbaik di tingkat dunia. Tahun 2019 akan menjadi tahun menarik untuk disimak bagi industri perfilman Indonesia.
Barker, T. and Y. B. Lee. 2017. Making creative industries policy: The Malaysian case. Kajian Malaysia 35(2): 21–37. https://doi.org/10.21315/km2017.35.2.2
Chinese soft power is not measured by blockbuster films, but by the appeal of its development model.
https://thediplomat.com/2017/11/the-real-source-of-chinas-soft-power/
In her seminal work on the role of ethnic Chinese in early Indonesian cinema, Krishna Sen (2006) emphasises on the significance of pioneering Chinese individuals and film enterprises in the establishment of the earliest movie theatres in the Dutch Indies as well as the production of the first locally made ‘Indonesian’ films. Looking further beyond Sen’s analysis, it needs to also be acknowledged that not only did Chinese filmmakers like the Wong brothers lay the commercial foundations of Indonesian cinema, they also introduced cinematic styles, format, and the gradual shift towards the localisation and nationalisation of themes that would be the precursor to later films. Perhaps more importantly, early Indonesian films such as Si Conat (1930) and Terang Boelan (1937) introduced for the first time the use of an early version of Bahasa Indonesia as the lingua franca that in turn helped to promote the use of the new language in the public domain. In this paper, we argue that ethnic Chinese filmmakers played a crucial role not only in the development of Indonesian cinema but also in paving the beginnings of a national cultural consciousness through films.
A reply to Shalahuddin Siregar
Sinema Poetica, 31 March 2016
http://cinemapoetica.com/can-defend-act-killing-look-silence/
In this paper I argue that when post-1998 horror films are subjected to greater scrutiny; they reveal an insight into what haunts contemporary Indonesian society. By closely analyzing the narrative structure of these films; a temporal gap is evident between the original violent incident (rape; murder; suicide; generally ‘crimes of passion’) and the reappearance of the ghost. Typically the ghost lies dormant until disturbed by a group of unsuspecting Jakartan youths who then become entangled in her search for justice. In horror films pre-1998; neither this temporal gap existed nor did the mediating role played by youths.
By drawing on psychoanalytical film theory that analyses how horror films represent widely held social anxieties; I suggest that the popularity of horror films in post 1998 Indonesia indicates a broadly felt trauma about the unresolved violence of the New Order regime. At the visceral level; these stories of horror provide catharsis for audiences in post 1998 Indonesia through the re-enactment of the violence in the genre of horror. My analysis of these films also reveals a relationship between popular film; contemporary audiences and historical trauma.
In this paper, we aim to re-examine the roles of ethnic Chinese filmmakers in Indonesian cinematic history as a preliminary study in the reconsideration of the early years of the film industry. Here, we regard the simplification of ethnic Chinese history in the film industry as part of a broader attempt by nationalist and New Order ideologues to ‘appropriate’ the origins of cinema and ‘national culture’ in Indonesia. On the same note, we argue that the narrative tradition that privileges ‘indigenous’ filmmakers as the originators of asli (‘authentic’ or ‘true’) Indonesian culture on screen reflects the dominant yet narrow definition of nationalism as based on ethnic and cultural primordialism. We challenge this common historical construction and assert that in the first decades of Indonesian cinema, ethnic Chinese filmmakers played pivotal roles in forming the images of Indonesian culture and peoples on screen."
http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-Article,id=15489/
With a huge local market and growing production power, the Indonesian film industry has enormous potential. The domestic industry is largely dominated by horror, teen romance, and Islamic films. At the same time, Indonesian films, directors, actors, and industry professionals are becoming more well known around the world, in part because of a more integrated global distribution network and web-based streaming services like Netflix. The international success of The Raid: Redemption (link is external) put actors Iko Uwais and Joe Taslim on Hollywood’s radar, and this increased attention has resulted in greater international interest in collaborations and co-productions.
What is the true potential of Indonesian films? Could Indonesia cinema be used as a soft-power tool? What market trends will define the growth of the industry over the coming years?
Episode 2: Money Matters https://www.bfm.my/unpacking-malaysian-cinema-s01e02.html
Episode 3: Snip? Snip! https://www.bfm.my/unpacking-malaysian-cinema-s01e03
Episode 4: Behind a Film https://www.bfm.my/unpacking-malaysian-cinema-s01e04
Episode 5: New Wave Cinema https://www.bfm.my/unpacking-malaysian-cinema-s01e05.html
Episode 6: Animation https://www.bfm.my/unpacking-malaysian-cinema-s01e06.html
Episode 7: Future of Festivals https://www.bfm.my/unpacking-malaysian-cinema-s01e07.html
Episode 8: To Go online? https://www.bfm.my/unpacking-malaysian-cinema-s01e08.html
The exponential increase in production required a number of fundamental shifts in how production was organized, who was making films, how films were funded, in audience engagement, and in the types of films being made. By conceptualizing these factors under the broader rubric of ‘going mainstream’ this presentation will show how local feature film is now a significant pop culture industry in contemporary Indonesia.
Chinese Malaysians provide an insightful vantage point from which to view and understand new networks and configurations within the Chinese screen industries. Chinese Malaysians are often overshadowed by more active and prominent members of China’s new media industries, especially above the line talent from Taiwan and Hong Kong. Although small in number, Chinese Malaysians are becoming more involved in China’s film industries as creative labour migrants. Through interviews with a number of workers including producers, actors, and directors, this research considers the roles that Malaysians play and their participation in new circuits of Chinese production. By reconsidering our definitions and understanding of Chinese transnationalism, this talk considers the evolving position of Malaysia and Chinese Malaysians in these new screen industries networks.
Looking at three recent Islamic-themed films – 99 Cahaya di Langit Eropa (2013), Assalamwalaikum Beijing (2014), and Haji Backpacker (2014) – I explore the extent to which they create the possibility for a cosmopolitan ethics as the Indonesian characters encounter others of different cultures and faiths. I argue that the three chosen films opt instead to remain rooted in an Indonesian Islamic worldview and thereby only evoke a limited cosmopolitan ethics. Although the films are presented as potentially cosmopolitan, they merely serve as a means of proselytization by remapping the world according to an Indonesian Islamic perspective.
This paper highlights quantitative and qualitative dimensions of the creative industries in Malaysia. Following surveys of four cities (Ipoh, Georgetown, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor Bahru) we show what creative industries infrastructure exists in Malaysian cities, and the particular density of venues, companies, and facilities. In terms of qualitative assessment, we consider the current direction and ambitions of public funding and programmes available to support the creative industries and consider their effect not only on the creative industries, but on the broader conceptual themes of integration and participation.
In this paper I argue that when post-1998 horror films are subject to greater scrutiny, they reveal an insight into what haunts contemporary Indonesian society. By closely analyzing the narrative structure of these films, a temporal gap is evident between the original violent incident (rape, murder, suicide; generally ‘crimes of passion’) and the reappearance of the ghost. Typically the ghost lies dormant until disturbed by a group of unsuspecting Jakartan youth who then become entangled in her search for justice. In horror films pre-1998, there was neither this temporal gap nor the mediating role played by youth.
By drawing on psychoanalytical film theory that analyses how horror films represent widely held social anxieties, I suggest that the popularity of horror films in post 1998 Indonesia belies a broadly felt trauma about the unresolved violence of the New Order regime. At the visceral level, these stories of horror provide catharsis for audiences in post 1998 Indonesia through the re-enactment of the violence in the genre of horror. It also reveals a relationship between popular film, contemporary audiences, and historical trauma.
liberalisation and increased democracy.
Based on 40 interviews with directors and producers, this paper applies sociological analysis of cultural capital to the current generation of film workers. It argues that the new generation of filmmakers, from Mira Lesmana to Henry Riady, are distinctively new and different from both previous generations and established workers in the industry. This difference underpins their approach to filmmaking in this new era, influencing their creative output as well as their approach to industry politics. By providing background in this way, broader issues and currents within the contemporary Indonesian film industry can be better understood.