The Growing Diversity of Indonesian Cinema
Twenty years after the fall of the New Order, Indonesia’s movie industry is booming. The number of movies produced in the country continues to increase and audience numbers are at a record high. The variety of themes covered is also becoming more diverse.
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JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Twenty years after the fall of the New Order, Indonesia’s movie industry is booming. The number of movies produced in the country continues to increase and audience numbers are at a record high. The variety of themes covered is also becoming more diverse, including delving into topics considered “taboo”.
The film industry began to surge from 2016 to 2018. In 2016, the movie Warkop DKI Reborn: Jangkrik Boss! Part 1 sold around 6.8 million tickets. It was a new record for an Indonesian movie.
The following year, the film’s sequel sold 4 million tickets, competing with Pengabdi Setan (Satan’s Slave), which sold 4.2 million. In 2018, Dilan 1990 was watched by 6.3 million people in theatres. Many other films were also watched by millions of people.
These achievements have never happened before. In 2016, 16 million tickets were sold, while in 2017 the figure surged to 42.6 million. That figure, however, is not representative of the true number of audience members, as the calculation is based on the availability of cinema screens, of which 60 percent are in Greater Jakarta. Today, there are 1,500 cinema screens across Indonesia meaning the real number could be higher.
Diverse stories
In addition to increased success at the box office, another important change has occurred in our cinema in the past 20 years. In general, the main themes of domestically produced films remain similar to previous eras, such as love, mysticism and family. According to an analysis by Kompas research center into 1,201 movies produced between 1998 and 2018, love stories accounted for 30.56 percent of films made, while mysticism-themed movies accounted for 23.73 percent, family-themed movies 14.15 percent, crime-themed movies 7.08 percent and teenage movies 6.74 percent. The remaining movies were about sexuality, biographies, adventure or other themes.
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Local residents gather on Saturday evening (7/7/2018) at a tanjleb, a traditional outdoor movie screening, during the Purbalingga Film Festival 2018 at the Karanggedang village field in Bukateja, Purbalingga, Central Java. Tanjleb are being held for an entire month in Purbalingga, Banjarnegara, Kebumen, Banyumas and Cilacap to bring films to the villages.
Even though the major themes have not changed much from the New Order era, the stories have become more varied, including dealing with issues that were once marginalized. Polygamy, for example, was dealt with in films such as Berbagi Suami (Love for Share, 2006), Ayat-ayat Cinta (2008), Surga yang Tak Dirindukan (2015) and Athirah (2016). Although they addressed polygamy, the films showcased different perspectives, such as from the point of view of men, women and children.
Another thing that also stands out is the inclusion of Islamic discourses and identity into mainstream popular culture. This phenomenon was seen through films such as Ayat-ayat Cinta, which tells a story of love in the context of Islam; Perempuan Berkalung Sorban (2009) about an Islamic boarding school and religious conservatism; Mencari Hilal (2015) about different opinions among generations on religion and tradition; and Hijab (2015) about an independent woman and Islamic fashion. Regardless of the depth of the issues raised, these films offer representations of the growing urban Muslim identity in the post-New Order social and political discourse.
Political issues, which in the New Order era were buried, are now also coming to the fore. Istirahatlah Kata-kata (Solo, Solitude, 2016), for example, discusses the kidnapping and disappearance of activist Wiji Thukul, whose whereabouts remains unknown until this day. Sang Penari (The Dancer, 2011) tells a tragic love story set during the political turmoil of the 1960s, while Marlina, Si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak (Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, 2017) tells the story of a rebellious woman who fights against discrimination and patriarchal culture.
Other marginal issues such sexual orientation are explored in the films Sanubari Jakarta (2012) and Lovely Man (2012). Sanubari Jakarta focuses on sexual orientation and its consequences while Lovely Man focuses on the life of a transgender person in the capital city.
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Fruit of “liberalism”
It is hard to imagine such films being made during the New Order era, which tried to bury diversity of identity and plurality for the sake of unity. When the New Order collapsed, identity groups began to emerge.
“This is a zombie that rises from its grave and that filmmakers record on film. This is what makes the visage of our films diverse and portrays the current identity of Indonesia,” said Idi Subandy, a cultural communication expert, on Sunday (15/7/2018).
Idi said the collapse of the New Order had triggered a euphoria to express ideas, as reflected in the emergence of thousands of publications, novels, music and films that covered various topics. “During the New Order, the instruction was top down. Now, during the reform era, creativity grows from the bottom because of the opening of cultural spaces.”
All expressions of freedom of these diverse film communities must be preserved and given room, Idi said. Cultural expression can only take place in a society that is open to differences.
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A movie van screens tanjleb, a traditional outdoor movie screening, on Saturday evening (7/7/2018) during the Purbalingga Film Festival 2018 at the Karanggedang village field in Bukateja, Purbalingga, Central Java. The festival is holding movies tanjleb through the month in the villages of Purbalingga, Banjarnegara, Kebumen, Banyumas and Cilacap.
Jakarta Arts Institute research center head Marselli Sumarno shared this view. The biggest change in the country’s cinema after the New Order regime was the opening up of freedom of expression. “In the past, before a movie was produced, the script had to be submitted to the Communication and Information Ministry for a checking,” he said in Jakarta on Thursday (12/7).
The government would then censor the parts it considered sensitive such as sexual or violent scenes as well as criticism against the New Order. It was after this censoring that a film was allowed to be produced. Film directors that did not submit their scripts would see their films banned from distribution and screening.
Jakarta Arts Institute rector Seno Gumira Ajidarma said that in the music scene during the New Order era, rebellious songs such as those by Iwan Fals were still allowed. In movies, however, there was almost no alternative films because everything was censored.
“In the past, film was not plural. But, after the reform era it became plural. There were few producers. Now, there are more and more, supported by technological advancement. Anyone can make a film, there is no need for permits, nor do they need to submit a script [for censorship]. Democratization of the film industry is here,” he said.
(ABK/HEI/DNE/BSW)
