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JiFFest celebrates a decade
By Alex Yong, 1 May 2009The Jakarta International Film Festival (JiFFest) celebrated a decade of existence attracting more than 28,000 audiences throughout the entire five-day duration of the festival in December 2008. The festival was pared down somewhat due to the global financial crisis. Some sponsors decided to pull out of the festival, or reduce the sponsorship quantum. As such, JiFFest organisers decided to cut down the number of days for the festival to continue.
For the third time, JiFFest held the Indonesian Feature Film Competition in which 10 selected Indonesian features were screened for free. The free screenings served as JiFFest’s contribution to raise the level of appreciation among the general public towards homegrown Indonesian cinema. The films were also assessed by an international jury panel to evaluate the overall quality of Indonesian cinema.
The jury was made up of Paolo Bertolin (Italy, film curator, Udine Far East Film Festival and Venice Film Festival), Rudy Tjio (Germany, film distributor), and Russel Edwards (Australia, film critic for Variety and The Australian daily).
The winners in this competition were Mouly Surya as Best Indonesian Director for her film Fiksi, and Quickie Express directed by Dimas Djayadiningrat and written by Joko Anwar as Best Indonesian Film. Each winner received prizes of voucher worth IDR10,000,000 (for Best Director) and IDR 20,000,000 IDR (for Best Film) from PT Elang Perkasa Film for film production equipment.
The 10th JiFFest also proudly presented world premieres of several Indonesian films. They were Pertaruhan (At Stake), a documentary anthology on marginalized women in several areas of Indonesia, directed by five emerging directors: Ani Ema Susanti, Iwan Setiawan and M. Ichsan, Lucky Kuswandi and Ucu Agustin; Drupadi, a short film from Riri Riza interpreting the epic story of Mahabarata; Tales from Jakarta, a compilation of five short documentaries from a documentary workshop held by Goethe-Institut Indonesia in collaboration with Jakarta Art Council.
Other Indonesian film premieres in JiFFest were auteur Garin Nugroho’s latest film Under The Tree, and also short films made from the winning scripts of the 2007 JiFFest Script Development Competition. The three films, which will also travel to international film festivals, are The Last Journey by Endah WS, Traffic Jam by Tam Notosusanto and The Visit by Erwin Indrawan.
The festival has been garnering good press from film goers over the last decade for its efforts to raise appreciation towards good quality films and nurture the growth of the Indonesian film industry.
The films were categorised under several sections, such as World Cinema category in which big films with renowned director and cast were presented to the audience; Panorama category with special quality of more edgy films, and Variety which showcased top short films from all around the world. Chosen as opening film was Oscar winner for Best Director, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen’s Burn After Reading, and the closing film was Vicky Cristina Barcelona, directed by legendary American director Woody Allen.
In the World Cinema category, JiFFest proudly presented some world-class renowned films, such as Pakistan’s best-selling films of all time, In the Name of God (Khuda Kay Liye), in which the screenings were attended by its director, Khan Shoaib Mansoor, himself, and best Norwegian film in 2008, The Man Who Loved Yngve, attended by the film’s two leading actors, Rolf Kristian Larsen and Arthur Berning. In the Panorama category, Australian director Faramarz K. Rahber came to Jakarta to present his documentary, Donkey in Lahore.
Continuing the success of JiFFest’s mission in strengthening the film industry network between filmmakers and film professionals in Southeast Asia, for the second time JiFFest presented “A View from the SEA: a focus on Southeast Asian Films”. This program aims to present the rapid growth of Southeast Asian film production, in terms of both quality and quantity.
The programme came right at the time when Southeast Asian films have started gaining coveted places in international film market. The event marked JiFFest’s growing reputation as a pivotal and important festival to showcase the development of the regional film industries.
JiFFest Script Development Workshops and Competition Workshops
The 10th JiFFest 2008 continued its tradition of having three categories of workshops in competition. The workshop participants were short-listed professional writers guided by international tutors during the workshop. The workshops were free for shortlisted participants.
Three categories of the competition and the workshop are:
1. Documentary Film Script – 29 submission entries,
2. Short Film Script – 109 submission entries,
3. Feature Film Script – 92 submission entries.
The short-listed participants developed their submitted ideas under the guidance of the following experts: Leonard Retel Helmrich (Netherlands, documentary), Miguel Machalski (Argentine, feature fiction), and Salman Aristo (Indonesia, short fiction). After two days of intensive workshops, the participants were given opportunities to rewrite their scripts or synopses before they had to pitch their ideas. The jury then announced the winner of each category on the closing night of festival.
JiFFest Script Development Competition and Workshop 2008:
Documentary Script Category:
Winner:
– Saya Seorang Pengemis (I Am A Beggar) by Rangga Kusmalendra
The winner received IDR 25,000,000 for the production of the project
Short Fiction Script Category:
Winner:
– Sang Guru (The Teacher) by Azwar,
– Malam Pengantin (Night of The Bride) by Fitrah Hardigaluh.
The winners received IDR 75,000,000 each for the production of the short film. In addition, a professional film-producer is assigned to guide the production. The cash prize and other available production budget is managed by the producer. The prize was sponsored by Astro Kirana.
Feature Script Category:
Winner:
– Anjing-anjing Jalanan (Sidewalk Dogs) by Tumpal Christian Tampubolon.
The winner received € 5,000 – for the completion of the script. The prize is presented by Hubert Bals Fund, International Film Festival Rotterdam.
In addition, JiFFest Script Development Competition also gave “Special Mention” to:
– Hari-hari Sofa Merah Marun (Days of the Red Maroon Sofa) by Yosep Anggi Noen
The winner of “special mention” award received honorary certificate from JiFFest and Hubert Bals Fund.
JiFFest Master Classes
JiFFest 2008 also held a series of special Master Class sessions with world film experts. These Master Classes were open to film enthusiasts with special interests in enhancing their filmmaking skills, with the aim to improve the overall quality of Indonesian cinema. Through these Master Classes, JiFFest gave a significant contribution in education field by developing qualified human resources in our local film industry.
1. Master Class: Film Animation
This Master Class for Film Animation featured Taku Furukawa. He is one of the Japan’s leading animation artists whose works has been appreciated since 1960’s. His work of art has been presented as special retrospective in many international film festivals. In this session, Taku Furukawa spoke about the other side of Japanese animation scene dealing with its prospect in the future. This Master Class was supported by Japan Foundation and held together with Indonesian animation school, HelloMotion. More than 50 people attended the class.
2. Master Class: Camera for Documentary
Responding the popularity of documentary film in Indonesia, JiFFest presented a Master Class which particularly speaks about one of the pivotal element in documentary, i.e. camera work. Present as keynote speaker and tutor in the practical master class was Leonard Retel Helmrich, well-known documentary director and Sundance winner. Helmrich is also known as the inventor of “Steadywings’, a supporting utility for cameras that helped the stability of camera maneuver while making documentary. Held in the first day of JiFFest, the Master Class supported by The Ford Foundation and attended by some 70 people.
3. Master Class: Film Criticism
Present as keynote speaker in this Mater Class was Russell Edwards, a Sydney-based film critic who primarily reviews Asian and Australian films for the international trade paper Variety. He has been serving as juries in several international film festivals, including Asia Pacific Screen Awards and Pusan International Film Festival. Moderated by Eric Sasono (Indonesian film critic) and Nauval Yazid (writer), this Master Class became an interactive event for the participants. This Master Class was supported by Hivos held together with Rumah Film and FFTV IKJ Film Analysis Club and attended by some 100 people.
JiFFest Forums
A series of fringe events in form of panel forum and discussion were held during the course of the festival. The forums were intended to enrich and expand networking between national filmmakers and international film professionals.
1. Producers Panel
For the second time, JiFFest held
a Producers Panel to talk about some issues in film production and distribution in Asia, particularly for independent filmmakers and producers. Lorna Tee (film producer, Hong Kong) was accompanied by Shozo Ichiyama (film producer, Japan) and Prima Rusdi (film producer and scriptwriter, Indonesia). The three also acted as consultants for Indonesia’s budding film producers and directors. The panel was supported by Hivos and attended by more than 60 people.
2. SEA Film Industry Panel
As part of Jakarta Biennale XIII 2009 project, the Jakarta Art Council supported a discussion panel for young filmmakers from South East Asia to gather and interact in discussing the development of modern Southeast Asian cinema in the SEA Film Industry Panel. The focus of the panel was to discuss the emerging correlations between spiritual beliefs and urban lives in the region as seen in the crop of regional films, particularly among young people who remain the core target market of the regional film industries. Present as speakers were Agung Hujatnikajenong (Indonesia, art curator), Aditya Assarat (Thailand, film director), Adolfo Alix, Jr. (the Philippines, film director) and Yuni Hadi (Singapore, director of Singapore International Film Festival). The panel was attended by 50 people.
3. Panel: 10 Years of Indonesian Film Revival
The forum 10 Years Indonesian Film Revival celebrated the revival
of Indonesian film in the last decade that brought back Indonesian cinema back into reckoning. Present as keynote speaker was Mari Pangestu (Ministry of Trade), with Shanty Harmayn and Abduh Aziz as moderators. Also present were panelists Drs. Ukus Kuswara, MM (Director of Film Department, Cultural & Tourism Department), Deddy Mizwar (Head of National Film Board), Harris Lasmana (Studio 21 Cineplex), Tri Rudi Anitio (Studio 21 Cineplex), Ananda Siregar (Blitz Megaplex), Hatoek Subroto (PT Elang Perkasa Film), Chand Parvez Servia (Producer, Starvision Plus) and Marco Kusumawijaya (Head of Jakarta Art Council). The panel was attended by around 100 people from film industry and national media.
