Organizer: Paul Rausch, University of Hawaii, USA Chair: Intan Paramaditha, New York University, USA Discussant: Intan Paramaditha, New York University, USA This panel will focus on issues of contemporary cinema studies related to Indonesia. Principally, the panel has been constructed to cover topics of film culture growing from the post 1998 reformation period following the fall of Indonesian president Suharto. Themes include reinterpreting historical film that challenges dominant state history; charting the subtle influences of Islam on the popular martial arts film genre; an examination of a controversial television program that offers political parody challenging long-time assumptions of the nobility of the written press to stand up for the general population; and a assessment of the Indonesian film industry that places in context the growing popularity of Indonesian film domestically and internationally and the lack of infrastructure to support dynamic growth of this industry over time.
Martial Arts, Islam, and Traditional Values in Indonesian Cinema.
Pencak Silat, Indonesia’s traditional martial art, has been represented in film since 1953, when it first appeared in Harimau Tjampa (Tjampa Tiger, dir: Djajakusuma). The genre enjoyed a resurgence in 2009 with the production of Merantau (Merantau Warrior, dir: Gareth Evans), causing a wide-spread case of “silat-fever” among moviegoers. Though produced many decades apart, both of these films incorporate a veneer of Islam that manifests itself in subtle forms throughout each film. Silat films of this nature are not considered Islamic-themed nor do they contain direct Islamic teachings, but the silat genre is always popular in rural areas in Indonesia in which Muslim ethnic minorities often live.
By examining films such as Tjambuk Api (Fire Whip, Djajakusuma, 1958) in which a ritual from Sumatera uses Shalawat (a hymn for the Prophet) as the film’s sound track; Jaka Sembung Sang Penakluk (The Warrior, dir: Sisworo Gautama Putra, 1981) in which Quranic verses serve as a mantra for producing supernatural powers; Carok (Carok Tradition, dir: Imam Tantowi, 1985) which focuses on the shame culture of Madura underpinned by Islam, and Merantau (Merantau Warrior, dir: Gareth Evans, 2009) that examines the practice of musafir in which a young man from a rural area must travel to the city to seek personal growth, this paper will demonstrate that Islam and Islamic values have long been woven into stories of righteous strength based on marital arts themes that help to maintain a focus on Islamic values across ethnic lines of identification.
The Curious Past in Indonesian Historical Film: Challenging the Historical Paradigm Presented in Pengkhianatan G 30 S/PKI
The emergence of Indonesian historical film is typically attributed to the national struggle over political and social identity that started in the early 1960s. The struggle reached a violent conclusion with the elimination of suspected communists and other “enemies” of the state over the course of 1965-66, which in turn led to the creation of Suharto’s “New Order” period that lasted from 1966-1998. The post New Order era in film studies is now marked by an interest in reinterpreting historical films, particularly those made over the critical period of 1965-66. During this period, two feature films and four documentaries made by Indonesian filmmakers presented stark images of a historical period that has long been excluded in the New Order’s version of the traumatic events of 1965-66 as represented in the well-known film, Pengkhianatan G 30 S/PKI (1984, Arifin C. Noer) [The 30 September Movement of the Indonesian Communist Party] that was broadcast nationally each year from 1984 to 1998.
This paper explores a new understanding of the events of 1965-1966 through the lens of rare historical film that challenges long-held beliefs articulated and maintained by the state as the official historical record of the period. In addition, it will address the question of what historical film can tell us about interpreting important periods in a nation’s history.
Industry or Not? Rethinking Contemporary Indonesian Film Production
In the last ten years, the political and business environment in which Indonesian films have been produced has undergone substantial change. Fuelled by new talent and political-social changes dating primarily to the period of “reformasi” (reform movement) in 1998, Indonesia’s film industry is enjoying a revival bringing it both domestic attention and international recognition. As the number of films produced is increasing old film companies have managed to survive while new production houses have also emerged signifying the development of a new structure of Indonesian film production. Although opportunities have increased for filmmakers desiring to make a film, rapid technological advancement along with a growing local audience that expects increased production value has made established business models unsustainable as the “industry” now lacks a strong infrastructure such as supportive government tax policies, human resource development, consistent and accessible investors, and effective distribution. This paper offers a framework for understanding the current status of Indonesian film production, providing new insight into Indonesian film financing, production structure/system, human resource issues, and the use of new technologies. This presentation will also address the questions of “What kind of “industry” has evolved in contemporary Indonesian cinema?” and “Does a film “industry” really exist in the country and what does that mean for the future of Indonesian film?”
Industry or Not? Rethinking Contemporary Indonesian Film Production
In the last ten years, the political and business environment in which Indonesian films have been produced has undergone substantial change. Fuelled by new talent and political-social changes dating primarily to the period of “reformasi” (reform movement) in 1998, Indonesia’s film industry is enjoying a revival bringing it both domestic attention and international recognition. As the number of films produced is increasing old film companies have managed to survive while new production houses have also emerged signifying the development of a new structure of Indonesian film production. Although opportunities have increased for filmmakers desiring to make a film, rapid technological advancement along with a growing local audience that expects increased production value has made established business models unsustainable as the “industry” now lacks a strong infrastructure such as supportive government tax policies, human resource development, consistent and accessible investors, and effective distribution.
This paper offers a framework for understanding the current status of Indonesian film production, providing new insight into Indonesian film financing, production structure/system, human resource issues, and the use of new technologies. This presentation will also address the questions of “What kind of “industry” has evolved in contemporary Indonesian cinema?” and “Does a film “industry” really exist in the country and what does that mean for the future of Indonesian film?”
Dreaming the New Republic: “Republik Mimpi” and the Indonesian Public’s Anxiety about the Role of the Press
Since the fall of Suharto in 1998, Indonesians have been wrestling with questions about the moral responsibilities of those speaking in public spaces, most notably in the press. Yet in the televised political satire Republik Mimpi modeled after the United State’s “Daily Show”, political subjects are often lampooned using ethnically marked language considered dangerous and inappropriate in other public spheres.
The Indonesian press has long been celebrated for its historical role in defending Indonesian citizens against oppression and government suppression. But ideas about how the press functions are rooted in a Western liberal semiotic ideology, where freedom of the press is reliant on its objectivity, and “language [is] purified of morally constitutive effects or independent of social ties” (Keane 2009). The relaxation of government controls over the media post 1998 have led to increased anxiety about the moral content of information conveyed by the media.
Nowhere are contradictions of the semiotic ideology that supports the moral authority of the press more clear than in recent controversies that ascribe a moral responsibility to journalists and other speakers in the public eye. This paper will explore how satires like Republik Mimpi use satirical language play to challenge the press’s claim to being a defender of freedom that always has the moral authority to speak for the people.
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