Youths from the Class of Acting (Casting) group practice role playing in the yard of Benteng Rotterdam, Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Thursday (19/10). The ambition of local youths to pursue a career in the entertainment industry has strengthened after several Makassar-produced films were played in national theaters.
In the past few years, young people’s interest in film has been burgeoning. Previously, young people struggled to establish their own film industry. Today, Makassar has its own film industry, with its own movie stars, directors, producers, fans and investors. No wonder, then, young filmmakers in Makassar are confident in saying, “The film industry exists not only in Jakarta. We also have one in Makassar!”
In the late 1990s, a handful of young people in Makassar began making films. As many other teenagers were busy brawling, they were busy making films that were then screened in public and in local communities. The films were screened in schools or buildings other than movie theaters, with cheap entrance fee. The filmmakers themselves received little pay or, in some cases, only a thank you. Nevertheless, these budding directors were satisfied that their films had found an audience.
The opportunity for a proper education in film was created after a film school was established in the city in 2011. One year later, the Makassar SEA Screen Academy (MSSA) was established by Riri Riza at the Rumata Artspace in Makassar. In such spaces, local directors’ film making and marketing skills were sharpened.
The education program began to bear fruit three years ago. On several street corners in Makassar, people began to see banners promoting Buginese-Makassar films. Some of these films were even screened in cinemas managed by the nation’s leading film theater chain Cinema 21. This burgeoning film making community finally found its match in investors’ interest and local market demand for Indonesian language films using the Buginese-Makassar dialect.
Cinema 21 corporate secretary Catherine Keng explained that films from Makassar had received many positive responses. More than a dozen Makassar films have been screened at Cinema 21 in the past few years, including Bombe 1 and Bombe 2, Sumiati, Parakang, Uang Panai’ and Silariang. “The number of viewers has probably exceeded one million. Uang Panai’ alone was watched by more than 500,000 people,” Catherine said.
She added that Cinema 21 gave space not only for Makassar-made films, but also for regional films from Tapanuli (in North Sumatra), West Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Regional identity
The uniqueness of Makassar films is most evident in its dialogue, filled with local wisdom and jokes, such as those found in Uang Panai’. Makassar’s verbal traditions slowly seeped into the films. In late September, the film Suhu Beku (freezing temperature) produced by Meditatif Films and Vonis Records was screened in theaters. The drama film about a teenagers’ band remained on screen for six days and was watched by 5,000 people.
Film producer Arman Dewarti, 50, and Suhu Beku director Rusmin “Adin” Nuryadin, 38, are old-timers in the Makassar film scene. They are experienced in the guerilla ethos of independent cinema that flourishes in local film communities. This was why they brought the films to local schools and colleges in Makassar.
Adin said the guerilla ethos had blossomed among Makassar filmmakers since the 2000s. Along with several local filmmakers, Adin established the Makassar Film Forum in 2008. Together, they produced the Makassar Film Anthology.
In 2008, the Makassar Arts Institute (IKM) opened its Film and Television Studies department after suggestions from local filmmakers. Later on, film studies departments were also established at Makassar Indonesia Arts and Culture Institute and the State Creative Media Polytechnic. IKM graduate Aditya Ahmad, 28, won the Special Mention award in the Berlinale Film Festival in Germany in 2014.
International scene
Similar to their counterparts in Makassar, young filmmakers in Bandung also struggled to establish an industry to promote Indonesia through their films. Since 2015, through the Bandung Film Council (BFC), hundreds of Bandung youths have produced films that have penetrated international film festivals in Germany, India and the Philippines.
“Young people pledged to have one identity, namely Indonesia, and physically struggle against colonialists. Now, young people advance the nation through work in their own areas,” BFC coordinator Sofyana Ali Bindiar said.
Among many Bandung Film Council films screened at international festivals was a film titled Semua Karena (It’s All About). The film, directed by Deden M Sahid, 34, was nominated for the 2017 Hamburg International Short Film Festival in Germany in May 2017. Deden used optical illusions in the film to change the expressions of heroes’ faces on Rupiah bills so that they seem to smile, cry or be indifferent. The film was inspired by currents in Indonesian politics, especially during the 2017 Jakarta election. Deden said the political turmoil during the election nearly threatened national integration because of greed for power.
“Many people appreciated the film in Hamburg. They asked where I got the idea of making a film with such a theme,” Deden said.
Pantura feel
If the film scene in Makassar and Bandung can roar, what about the youth on Java’s northern coastal highway (pantura), known for its dangdut music? In their own unique way, the youth of pantura continue to spread the dangdut beat to keep it alive.
In Pilangsari village, Kedawung district, Cirebon regency, on Tuesday, 23-year-old Anik Arnika shook the stage at a wedding reception. The event turned into a music concert. Accompanied by the blaring sounds of kendang (hand-beaten drums) from the six huge loudspeakers, the dangdut singer bewitched her audience. Men of all ages thronged in front of the stage. Cellphone cameras were everywhere as the drumbeats blended with the sound of seruling (flute). Anik’s hit songs, including Asal Kedumen (As Long As I Get My Share) and Bandar Judi (Gambling Bookie), soon echoed through the air.
Anik is a rising star. People need to stand in line just to book her for events. Her fee reaches Rp20 million (US$1,480) for one performance. Her schedule is already full until next year.
Anik, however, did not achieve fame overnight. It was due to patience and persistence. Hailing from Suci village, Mundu district, Cirebon, Anik started singing 10 years ago. In the beginning, she only got a measly Rp100,000 for singing all day long.
A fateful meeting with Akrom, 29, another dangdut singer and now her husband, marked the beginning of her path to success. Anik’s album, also titled “Asal Kedumen”, launched in 2016. It sold 5,000 copies and won an award at the 2016 Tembang Pantura Awards. “The money keeps coming in. I can pay 400 members of the Arnika Jaya group, including drivers and a stage crew. I have no plan to move to Jakarta. It’s enough for me here,” Anik said.
She may have made the right choice, as not everything has to start from Jakarta. Creative millennial\'s can achieve success from anywhere.
