Indonesia on film

While the history of film making in Indonesia goes back to the mid-1920s, native involvement in the production, direction, financing and exploitation of films remained very limited during the first decades. The Netherlands East Indies' burgeoning film industry was largely in the hands of ethnic Chinese, as was the network of movie theaters. Most films from the colonial period were traditional in their choice of subject matter, with titles such as Njai Dasima and Terang Boelan. During the Japanese occupation (1942-1946), Dutch and Chinese film production was officially banned. Although a few titles could still be released in 1942, for the remainder of the period film was mainly used as a medium for Japanese propaganda.

After Independence, the first truly national Indonesian film to be released was Darah dan Doa a.k.a.The Long March of Siliwangi (1950), directed by Umar Ismail. In the following years, the production of Indonesian films increased rapidly, reaching its zenith in 1955 - which also saw the first Festival Film Indonesia (FFI) - with 59 new movies produced that year. However, this promising start was followed by an equally rapid decline to a mere 17 titles in 1959. The development of the movie industry continued at a sluggish pace due to a combination of political and economic circumstances. This negative trend was reversed in 1970 with the establishment of Indonesia's first professional film academy.

 























After a few more decades of rising and falling fortunes, Indonesian cinema in the first decade of the 21th century is definitely on the upswing again. The increased affordability of digital video technology has opened up avenues for young film makers, and a more permissive atmosphere has spawned a new wave of creative energy.   Indonesian filmmaking is not limited to the production commericial feature films aimed at cinema audiences, of which the output currently exceeds a hundred movies a year, and a large number of tv movies and serials; there also exists a vast and growing circuit of indepedent filmmakers, who often work in collectives known as komunitas film. The exact number of 'film communities is unknown, but estimates vary from hundreds to a few thousand spread across the archipelago, often centered on university cities such as Bandung and Yogyakarta.   While 'ghost' stories such as Paku Kuntilanak and Hantu Perawan Jeruk Purut have come to dominate Indonesian cinema in terms of output quantity and audience size, many other themes have all found a place in Indonesia's revitalized film industry. These include stories set in the context of the struggle for independence, such as Merah Putih; nostalgia for the glory of a mythical golden age as is evident in the visual masterpiece Opera Jawa; the lifestyles of the urban middle classes, as in Arisan and Coklat Stroberi - which both also happen to deal with the issue of homosexuality in a relatively socially conservative society. Ayat-ayat Cinta exemplifies the effects of the recent Islamic resurgence, which raises questions about how young Indonesians must deal with their faith in a modern globalized society. Another relatively recent phenomenon is a renewed interest in local cultures and affairs. Jermal, which depicts life on a Sumatran fishing platform, is a prime example of this trend.   This Spotlight presentation can only offer the merest glimpse of the many facets of Indonesia captured on film. In addition to Indonesian national productions, The video fragment below also shows fragments of some notable Indonesian productions, including Ayat-ayat Cinta, Coklat Stroberi, Jermal and Opera Jawa, as well as a fragment from Max Havelaar, as an example of the impact the Indonesian experience has had on Dutch film making.

Literature The works listed below are but a small selection of publications on Indonesian film available at the KITLV Library. Included are historical treatments Indonesian film making in general; film scripts; novels that were made into novels (or vice versa); and articles dealing with the artistic, social and cultural aspects of individual films mentioned in our text.   -20 th Persatuan Perusahaan Film Indonesia (PPFI) dalam perjalanan sejarah perfilman / Perpustakaan Sekretariat Direktorat Jenderal Radio-TV-Film ; ketua: Setiadi Tryman MS. Jakarta, 1988.   - Ayat-ayat cinta : sebuah novel pembangun jiwa / Habiburrahman el Shirazy ; [ed.: Anif Sirsaeba Alafsana] ; prolog: Hadi Susanto. - Jakarta : Republika, 2004.   - Bandung : tonggak sejarah film Indonesia / Eddy D. Iskandar ; [pengantar: Edi Darnadi]. - Bandung : Pustaka Dasentra, 2006.   - Coklat Stroberi : an Indonesian romance in three flavours / Ben Murtagh. In: South East Asia research, vol. 28 (2010), no. 2, p. 219-243.   - Contemporary Indonesian film : spirits of reform and ghosts from the past / Catherine Quirine van Heeren. Ph.D. thesis, Leiden 2009.   - Film pendek independen dalam penilaian : sebuah catatan dari berbagai festival "film pendek dan film alternatif" di Indonesia / Gotot Prakosa ; pengantar: Christine Hakim ; epilog: Arya Gunawan. Jakarta : Komite Film Dewan Kesenian Jakarta (DKJ) : Yayasan Seni Visual Indonesia, 2005.   - Filming Ayat-ayat Cinta : the making of a Muslim public sphere in Indonesia / Akh. Muzakki. In: Journal of Indonesian Islam, vol.4 (2010), no. 1, p. 43-60.   - Jermal : sebuah novel / Yokie Adityo ; [pemeriksa aksara: Pritameani]. - Yogyakarta : Bentang, 2009.   - Katalog film Indonesia 1926-2007 / JB. Kristanto ; kontr.: SM. Ardan ... [et al.]. Jakarta : Nalar, 2007.   - Merah Putih : novel sejarah / oleh Taulu H.M.. - Jakarta : Proyek Penerbitan Buku Sastra Indonesia dan Daerah, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, 1983.   - Sejarah film 1900-1950 : bikin film di Jawa / Misbach Yusa Biran. - Jakarta : Dewan Kesenian Jakarta (DKJ), 2009.   - Sejarah film Indonesia : masa kelahiran-pertumbuhan / Gayus Siagian ; pengantar dan ed.: Gotot Prakosa. - Jakarta : Fakultas Film dan Televisi, Institut Kesenian Jakarta, 2010.   - Sejarah Parfi : 50 tahun perjuangan artis film Indonesia / oleh S.M. Ardan. - Jakarta : Persatuan Artis Film Seluruh Indonesia (PARFI), 1990.   - Setengah abad Festival Film Indonesia / S.M. Ardan ; pengantar: Akhlis Suryapati. - Jakarta : Panitia Festival Film Indonesia 2004 : Jaringan Kreatif Independen Workshop Production Network, 2004.   - Snapshots of Indonesian film history and non-theatrical films in Indonesia / by Misbach Yusa Biran ; transl. by John H. McGlynn. - Jakarta : National Film Council, Department of Information, 1987.   - When "Ayat-Ayat Cinta" goes to cinema : a moving picture of da'wa, politics and fragmented religious authority / by: Ahmad Nuril Huda. MA thesis, Leiden, 2001.